The Cardinals kept their hold on the final wild card spot with a victory over the Eagles on Sunday. The Bears are now the only realistic contender, sitting one game back with two remaining. Chicago has the tiebreaker, so the Cardinals must be ahead at the end of the season to make the playoffs.
Here is a look at the NFC playoff picture heading into Week 16:
1. Green Bay Packers (11-3): The Packers continued to cruise with a win over the Panthers on Saturday. They have a chance to clinch the top seed in Week 16, which wouldn't be a good thing for the Cardinals, because Green Bay could then consider resting players in the season finale against the Bears.
2. New Orleans Saints (10-4): New Orleans lost to the Chiefs on Sunday, its second defeat in a row after nine straight wins. The Saints hold the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed over the Seahawks, but their chances of getting the first-round bye have dwindled.
3. Seattle Seahawks (10-4): Seattle knocked off Washington in Week 15 to re-take the NFC West lead from the Rams. The two go head-to-head this week in a game with huge divisional implications.
4. Washington Football Team (6-8): The Football Team is holding on to the NFC East lead, but every team in the division is still alive heading into the final two weeks. Washington hosts the Panthers this week.
5. Los Angeles Rams (9-5): Los Angeles suffered the most stunning defeat of the season, falling to the winless Jets at home last week. The Rams dropped down into wild card positioning, but can move back to the top of the NFC West if they beat Seattle.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5): The Buccaneers rallied from a 17-point deficit to knock off the Falcons and remain in the No. 6 spot ahead of the Cardinals. Tampa Bay travels to play the Lions in Week 16.
7. Arizona Cardinals (8-6): The Cardinals overcame three turnovers to beat the Eagles on Sunday, keeping the hard-charging Bears at bay. Arizona is looking for its first playoff berth since 2015.
In the hunt: Chicago Bears (7-7); Minnesota Vikings (6-8); Dallas Cowboys (5-9); New York Giants (5-9); Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1).
What's on the line for the Cardinals in Week 16: The Cardinals can clinch a playoff berth this week if they beat the 49ers and the Bears lose to the Jaguars. Chicago would jump Arizona for the final wild card spot with a win and a Cardinals loss via the common opponents tiebreaker. The Cardinals can overtake the Buccaneers for the No. 6 seed in the wild card chase with a victory and a Tampa Bay loss in Detroit. The Cardinals have been eliminated from NFC West contention.
