Predicting the winners of each NFC division

There are only two weeks left of the NFL regular season and the playoff picture is starting to look brighter for most teams who are in contention. In the AFC, the division winners for three out of the four divisions have already been decided, with the North being the only division still up for grabs. The NFC is a different story, however. No team has clinched their division yet, and many teams are still alive for the two wild card spots. With many questions surrounding the four NFC divisions, I thought I would go ahead and predict the winners of each division. So, without further ado, here they are.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are having a great season, but yet they still aren’t a guarantee to win the East or even get a wild card spot, for that matter. But, between the Philadelphia Eagles and them, Dallas seems like the better team overall. After they came into Philly last Sunday night and shocked the home crowd, the Cowboys look to be in the driver’s seat for the division. Although they face a tough game this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts and another one on the road against the Washington Redskins in Week 17, this team has shown that they are for real and are worthy of being named division champions. As for the Eagles, I see them winning one out of their last two games, with the possibility of them making the playoffs as one of the two wild cards.

NFC North: Green Bay Packers. As is the situation with the East, the NFC North is down to two teams: the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Both teams are currently 10-4, with the Lions being in first due to the fact that they defeated the Packers back in Week 3. Both teams have fairly easy Week 16 matchups, as the Packers face the 2-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Lions have to take on the 5-9 Chicago Bears. This means that if both teams win this week, their Week 17 matchup in Lambeau Field will be for the division crown. There is no way that the Lions can beat the “Bad Man” Aaron Rodgers, as Stephen A. Smith of ESPN refers to him as, and the Packers twice in one season, especially at Lambeau. The Lions also have a good chance to make the playoffs as a wild card, but the Eagles, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks are all in the running, as well.

NFC South: New Orleans Saints. This division has been back-and-forth all year. There is really no good team here, but the Saints seem to have the best chance to win out and make the playoffs as the South division winner. The Carolina Panthers are surging lately, but they trail the Saints by a game and that one game may decide the outcome of this lousy division. The Atlanta Falcons seem to be out of it, but they are 4-0 against the rest of the division, so they possibly could win out, as well. Even though all three of these teams have an equal chance to win it, my money is on the Saints who seem to have the most talented team and easiest remaining schedule. Even though they will be looked down upon because of their mediocre record, they could still win at least one playoff game, as it will be a home game for them in the Superdome.

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks. There is perhaps no hotter team in the NFL right now than the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks. They have defeated the Cardinals, Eagles and San Francisco 49ers (twice) all in one month. Their defense, which did not look so great in the beginning of the season, has found its rhythm again and is dominating. Running back Marshawn Lynch is on a tear in the last month, as well. When he gets going, you know the rest of the team will follow suit. They go on the road to face the Cardinals this Sunday night, but Ryan Lindley will be starting for Arizona, which makes it even easier for the Seahawks to win this game. The Cardinals are still a solid team and will most likely get a wild card spot, but the Seahawks look like they will be back on top of the NFC West for a second straight year after it is all said and done.