NFC Playoff picture takes shape after Week 16 showdowns

Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season is nearly complete, with only two more games on the slate before shifting focus to Week 17.

On Sunday Night Football, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, defending home field versus the second seed New England Patriots.

Monday Night Football will feature an inter-conference matchup between the playoff-hopeful Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers.

There were a handful of intriguing matchups filled with drama, and teams needing victories to keep their seasons alive.

When the day started, there were seven NFC teams already eliminated from the playoffs:

Minnesota Vikings
Dallas Cowboys
Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
Washington Commanders
Arizona Cardinals
New York Giants

Week 16 showdowns helped the NFC Playoff picture take shape. Let’s look at how it ended with only the San Francisco 49ers left to play on Monday night.

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Clinched the Playoffs

The NFC Playoff picture is nearly set, with only the NFC South division-winner undecided and a battle for the Wildcard still going strong.

Carolina took down the Buccaneers in a close game to take a one-game lead with two games to go, and each team’s only chance at the playoffs is a division championship.

Tampa Bay has one more chance at redemption in another head-to-head matchup in the season finale that will decide which team locks up the seventh and final NFC playoff spot.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the only team to have clinched a division title with their victory over the Washington Commanders on Saturday.

The NFC North is still a battle between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, who played an ESPN Instant Classic game that went to overtime on Saturday night.

In the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers are not only still in contention for the division title, but also for the number one seed in the conference.

Most of these teams still have games against each other in the final two weeks, which will make for entertaining football.

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Still in the Hunt

The Detroit Lions still had an outside shot at the division title before their untimely loss to the Steelers, and now their only hope is the final Wildcard spot.

Sitting at 8-7, the Lions would need to win their final two games, and hope other teams (49ers and Packers) lose their final two.

The 49ers and Packers need only to win one more game each, and it would eliminate the Lions from playoff contention.