NFC Playoff Picture: The Falcons are in very good shape...in Week 9

Some would say it’s too early to start breaking down the MVP race or the playoff picture in Week 9, but the reality is that we scrub the face of the NFL on a weekly basis to scour away every bit of relevant news and analysis, so of course we’re talking about playoff possibilities now. This is the era we live in, and the Falcons just so happen to have a pretty strong path to the postseason.

Here’s a look at the current playoff picture in the NFC, based on record, tiebreakers, and the position of the moon. Or something.

NFC Playoff Picture

#1: Dallas Cowboys, 7-1

#2: Seattle Seahawks, 5-2-1

#3: Atlanta Falcons, 6-3

#4: Minnesota Vikings, 5-3

#5: New York Giants, 5-3

#6: Washington Redskins, 4-3-1

The Falcons match up fairly well against a Redskins team that may or may not be all that great, so on those merits this isn’t the worst matchup to root for. Ideally, of course, they’d be the #2 seed (as we originally projected they were, apologies) and would get the bye.

The most complete team on this list is definitely the Cowboys, who are the odds-on favorites to come out of the NFC at this point. Atlanta will have to show a little more on defense to be talked about in the same stratosphere, but it’s not an accident that they’re #3 thus far, given that they’re lights out on offense and the rest of the NFC looks pretty grim.

The only truth worth considering is that at Week 9, this picture is going to change and change often between now and the end of the season. The Falcons are in great position to make the postseason, however, and we’ll hope they can stay there.