In the winding down of the NFL regular season, the NFL playoff mix-up is revving up. If you take a look at the current NFL standings 2023, you'll see things are a lot closer than they seem. The final two weeks of the NFL regular season are going to have us all sitting on the edges of our seats as no team is really safe; making the phrase "any given Sunday" more applicable than ever before.
NFL Standings 2023: NFC Goliaths
The NFC may not be as close as the AFC but there are definitely some to keep an eye on as we get late into the NFL 2023 regular season. After this week, I think we can all agree that the AFC holds the stronger teams. With the talented San Francisco 49ers falling victim to the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys falling short to the Miami Dolphins, we can begin to build an argument that the top National Football Conference teams are no longer as feared as they were earlier in the season.
We have a three-way tie for best record in the NFC; San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Detroit Lions all having a record of 11-4. With the Dallas Cowboys trailing at a record of 10-5. All these teams have clinched the playoffs but the worrying has just begun for them. Starting with Detroit, who just clinched their first division title in over three decades, but we aren't fully convinced by them just yet.
Related Article: NFL Standings 2023: AFC Tale of Ten Teams
As mentioned before, the Niners and Cowboys both lost to AFC giants, while the Eagles had a little trouble against a giant as well, the New York Giants to be exact. The Giants are not a great team by any stretch but amongst the drama at their quarterback position, they were almost able to squeak one out against Philly. The Eagles are burdening their fans with panic attacks week in and week out as they seem to never be able to assert their dominance to lesser teams till the end of the fourth quarter.
Dallas is more evolved in this sense as just when you think they got it right, they continue to drop big games. At least the fans expect this at this point with the Cowboys. The 49ers appeared to walk into the game against the Ravens too cocky as they forced the ball out of quarterback Brock Purdy's hands too often and not relying on their other MVP candidate running back Christian McCaffrey till later in the second quarter. This assertiveness by the Niners may be what caused their QB to have his worst game with four interceptions against a very good Ravens defense.
NFL Standings 2023: NFC Davids
Now more than ever it is evident that those top four teams are not safe in the NFC playoffs, as we have quite a few teams that can shake up the NFC. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks are at the top of the pack with a record of 8-7 a piece. While we have the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints on the outside looking in with records of 7-8. And finally, the Chicago Bears with a record of 6-9, needing a Hail Mary to make the playoffs; not like the one that failed against the Cleveland Browns a couple weeks ago.
But of these teams the Rams, Seahawks, and Packers have shown their ability to hang in and edge out better overall teams. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford could almost make a case for MVP with what he is accomplishing with an underrated Rams roster. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has been able to motivate his team to two late wins. And the Green Bay Packers seem to have found their next quarterback in Jordan Love for the next decade. The Vikings are finding ways to stay competitive even now that they are down to their fourth starting quarterback this year, Nick Mullens.
Finally we get into the three-way battle for the lowly NFC South Division Title. Atlanta somehow found their way into this fight despite all the heat they get about head coach Arthur Smith and his questionable game plans. The Saints still haven't fully found their groove with quarterback Derek Carr. But, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have definitely stated a case to be the winners of the division. They hold the best record of the three at 8-7 and have won four games in a row behind quarterback Baker Mayfield.
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