NFL playoff brackets: Seahawks have strong hold on 2 seed in NFC

The playoffs are quickly approaching and with a 7-2-1 record, the Seattle Seahawks have a 96% chance of making the playoffs. As it stands, the Seahawks firmly have the second seed in the NFC by one and a half games over the third seed Detroit Lions, while they themselves sit 1.5 games behind the Dallas Cowboys. In the NFC, all teams are still in contention, while the Wild Card seeds are more hotly contested than usual.

Here is the current breakdown of playoff seeds in the NFC:

1. Dallas Cowboys (9-1)
2. Seattle Seahawks (7-2-1)
3. Detroit Lions (6-4)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
5. New York Giants (7-3)
6. Washington Redskins (6-3-1)

While no team has been eliminated from the NFC playoff picture, immediately outside the playoff bubble sit the Minnesota Vikings (6-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5), and the Philadelphia Eagles (5-5).

There are two matches next week that will have playoff implications for multiple playoff teams:

• Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
• Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

If the Vikings win, they will take the 3rd seed from the Lions bumping the Redskins out of the six playoff teams, while if the Lions win, they maintain the 3rd seed behind Seattle.

If Washington can beat the Cowboys, a tall order on Thanksgiving with limited rest from a Sunday Night smack down of the Green Bay Packers, this would give the Seahawks a better shot of securing the first seed and home field advantage for the entire post-season.

Seattle plays the Buccaneers next week in Tampa after Jameis Winston led them to a surprise victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. No matter what happens in this match, the Seahawks will still control the second seed another week -- they can’t move up or down.

As an aside, only one team has been officially eliminated from playoff contention: the Cleveland Browns. They started the season 0-10 and have a clear hold on the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.