NFL Playoff Standings 2016: Seattle Seahawks Take Strong Hold Of NFL Wild Card
NFL playoff standings for the 2016 postseason look even better for the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL playoff standings reveal that the Seahawks have an even stronger hold on a wild card spot in the NFC. Beating the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 6, the Seahawks sent a statement to the rest of the NFL that this team could be competing for another NFC title.
The game wasn’t even close, as the Seahawks dominated the Vikings on both offense and defense. In addition to scoring 38 points, the Seahawks also limited the Vikings to just 125 total yards. Quarterback Russell Wilson had 274 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, and four touchdowns to his credit. Running back Thomas Rawls had 101 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards, and a touchdown of his own on the ground. The win improved the Seahawks to 7-5 on the season and dropped the Vikings to 8-4.
In the updated NFL playoff standings, the Minnesota Vikings fell out of first place in the NFC North. Now the Green Bay Packers lead the division with an 8-4 record and a tie-breaker over the Vikings. Leading the NFC are the 11-0 Carolina Panthers and 10-2 Arizona Cardinals. The third seed belongs to the Packers, with the 5-6 Washington Redskins leading the NFC East to hold the fourth seed. The Vikings fall into the first wild card slot in the NFC and Seattle maintains control of the second wild card.
In the updated AFC playoff standings, the New England Patriots (10-1) and Cincinnati Bengals (10-2) hold the top two seeds. The Denver Broncos (9-2) aren’t too far back as the third seed and the team also has a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Patriots. The fourth seed is now the 6-5 Indianapolis Colts, as the team took over first place in the AFC South. As for the ever-changing AFC wild card teams, they are currently the 7-5 New York Jets and 6-5 Kansas City Chiefs. This could shift by the end of play on Sunday, as the 6-5 Pittsburgh Steelers could move up with a win and a Chiefs loss.
Several later games on Sunday could have an impact on the NFL playoff standings, and they include Kansas City at Oakland, Denver at San Diego, Philadelphia at New England, and Indianapolis vs. Pittsburgh. A loss by the Patriots coupled with a win by the Broncos would cause a complete shift at the top of the AFC standings. The Denver Broncos would take the top spot, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 2, and the New England Patriots at No. 3. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, so the Steelers would need to win and have the Chiefs lose to move into the second wild card slot.
The updated NFC playoff standings don’t take into account the Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints game either. It won’t have a changing impact, as the Panthers will still lead the conference at either 12-0 or 11-1. The team also doesn’t play the No. 2 Arizona Cardinals this season, so it could come down to other tie-breakers should the teams finish the regular season tied. Currently, Arizona is 7-1 against other NFC teams, while Carolina is at 7-0. It is that record which will decide how the top seed is assigned in the NFC.
After the Seattle Seahawks started the season 0-2 and then fell to 2-4, having a strong hold on one of the two NFC wild card spots is a pretty big accomplishment. The Seahawks will have to continue winning games, though, as the 6-6 Atlanta Falcons and 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are drawing very close. The Seahawks will next play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, with the team working hard to possibly move up and catch the Minnesota Vikings in the 2016 NFL playoff standings.
[Photo by: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images]
