NFC playoff picture: No. 3 seed is in hand, but Vikings are grasping for more

With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Vikings don't have a lot of clarity about who they will face in the playoffs. But their game Sunday against the Packers will have a big impact on that. The Vikings can all but eliminate Green Bay with a win at Lambeau Field, but a loss paired with a 49ers win would shuffle the deck.

Only the No. 1 seed gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The matchups on wild-card weekend Jan. 14-16 are: 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5.

Here are the current NFC playoff seedings:

1. Eagles (13-2): Philadelphia clinched a playoff berth in Week 14 but can claim the NFC East title with a win over the Saints on Sunday. A win Sunday (or a Vikings loss) would also give the Eagles the No. 1 seed. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is listed as doubtful to play.

2. Vikings (12-3): The NFC North champions can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed and will host at least one home playoff game. They need to finish with a better record than the 49ers to keep the No. 2 seed. To claim the No. 1 seed, they would need to win their last two games and have Philadelphia lose its last two games.

3. 49ers (11-4): The NFC West champions hold the conference-record tiebreaker over the Vikings, meaning if San Francisco finishes with the same record as the Vikings, it will get the higher seed.

4. Buccaneers (7-8): Tampa Bay can settle the NFC South and earn a playoff berth with a win over Carolina (6-9) on Sunday. If the Panthers win, though, Carolina would take the division lead by virtue of its tiebreaker advantage over the Bucs.

5. Cowboys (12-4): Dallas, which clinched a playoff spot in Week 15, still has a chance at the NFC East title after beating Tennessee on Thursday night if the Eagles lose their last two games. The Cowboys also have an outside shot at the No. 1 seed, if the Eagles lose twice and the Vikings and 49ers lose one of their last two.

6. Giants (8-6-1): They can clinch a wild-card berth with a win Sunday over the free-falling Colts. They would also claim a playoff spot with losses by Washington and Seattle, or a loss by one of those teams combined with Detroit and Green Bay losses.

7. Commanders (7-7-1): Washington can claim a playoff spot with a win over the Browns on Sunday and losses by Seattle, Detroit and Green Bay. The Commanders changed starting quarterbacks, replacing Taylor Heinicke with Carson Wentz.

8. Seahawks (7-8): Seattle has lost five of six to fall out of playoff position. The Seahawks can be eliminated with a loss to the Jets on Sunday and a Commanders win, or a loss combined with Packers and Lions wins.

9. Lions (7-8): Detroit could have vaulted into playoff position with a win against Carolina last week. Instead, the Lions can be eliminated Sunday with a loss to Chicago and a Washington win over Cleveland.

10. Packers (7-8): All scenarios for reaching the playoffs require Green Bay to win its last two games, against the Vikings on Sunday and Detroit on Jan. 8. The Packers also need the Commanders to lose once or the Giants to lose twice.

Thursday

Cowboys 27, Titans 13

Sunday

Vikings at Packers, 3:25 p.m.
Bears at Lions, noon
Colts at Giants, noon
Saints at Eagles, noon
Panthers at Buccaneers, noon
Browns at Commanders, noon
49ers at Raiders, 3:05 p.m.
Jets at Seahawks, 3:05 p.m.