2025 NFL playoff picture: Ranking NFC wild card contenders, from steady Seahawks to hopeful Cowboys

The NFL's 2025 playoff picture isn't fully developed, but some lines of demarcation are being drawn to sort out the top and the bottom of the league's standings.

In the NFC, there are clear-cut teams who are out of the hunt, but there's also a congested upper crust of the conference that could see its pecking order change -- like a shaken-up snow globe -- on a week-to-week basis. The NFC West has an 8-2 and a 7-3 squad at the top of its standings, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, while the top three teams in the NFC North -- the Chicago Bears (7-3), the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) and the Detroit Lions (6-4) -- are all separated by just half a game.

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Seven teams will represent the NFC in the postseason, with the final three spots going to wild cards. Which franchises will emerge from the logjam to earn the right to play football into mid-January? Which hopefuls are too far gone to catch up 11 weeks into the season? Here is a ranking of the seven teams considered to be still alive in the wild card chase, plus all of those teams' projected end-of-season records.

Division leaders

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2, NFC East)
2. Los Angeles Rams (8-2, NFC West)
3. Chicago Bears (7-3, NFC North)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (64, NFC South)

Unofficially out of it

• New York Giants (2-9)
• New Orleans Saints (2-8)
• Washington Commanders (3-8)
• Atlanta Falcons (3-7)
• Arizona Cardinals (3-7)

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Bet NFL futures at FanDuel and get $150 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager.

Wild card contenders

7. Minnesota Vikings (4-6)

• Odds to win NFC North: +6500
• Odds to make playoffs: +1200

The Vikings are stocked with plenty of talent along their offense, from 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year wide receiver Justin Jefferson to former first-round wide receiver Jordan Addison to Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson to Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones. Head coach Kevin O'Connell is the reigning NFL Coach of the Year for his work rebuilding quarterback Sam Darnold, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores typically maximizes whatever defensive talent he has to work with year in and year out.

However, quarterback J.J. McCarthy isn't currently able to elevate the roster as a starter in his first season playing in 2025: he's produced a 52.9% completion percentage, eight total touchdowns and eight interceptions in five starts while throwing at least one interception in every start. He may or may not be the guy for Minnesota down the road, but McCarthy isn't ready to be what the Vikings need in 2025.

Projected final record: 6-11

6. Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1)

• Odds to win NFC East: +5500
• Odds to make playoffs: +730

The Cowboys' offense is electric. Quarterback Dak Prescott (2,587 yards passing, fifth-best in the NFL), running back Javonte Williams (809 yards rushing, fifth-best in the NFL) and wide receiver George Pickens (908 yards receiving, second-best in the NFL) are all producing like top-five players at their respective positions for the NFL's No. 2 scoring offense (29.6 points per game). Dallas is actually the only team in the league this season to have a player in the top five of the NFL in passing, rushing and receiving. 

Dallas' defense for the season entering Week 12 has been just as putrid, allowing 29.3 points per game, the second most in the NFL.  

That's why the 2025 Cowboys have become the answer to the following jeopardy question: "Which team averaged the most points per game while still having a losing record through the first 10 games of a season in NFL history?" This current Dallas squad, with an offense averaging 29.6 points per game, is the answer. 

The Cowboys' reason for optimism is that their best defensive performance of the season came in their last game played in Week 11, a 33-16 victory at the Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football." For a night, the trade deadline arrivals of All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (via a trade with the Jets) and veteran linebacker Logan Wilson (via a trade with the Bengals) -- plus the season debuts of explosive linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and 2025 third-round cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. -- lifted this defense from dreadful to solid. Williams made an immediate impact with 1.5 sacks and a career-high five quarterback hits. 

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The glass half full perspective for Dallas is it has games remaining against the the 3-8 Commanders and the 2-9 Giants in addition to the J.J. McCarthy-led Vikings The glass half empty perspective is the Cowboys also have two games remaining against playoff teams in the Eagles (8-2) and Chargers (7-4) plus matchups against the 2024 season's top NFC seed in the Lions (6-3) and the three-time defending AFC champion Chiefs (5-5). For the Cowboys to make the postseason, they would likely have to finish the year no worse than 5-2, bringing their overall record to 9-7-1. That's a nearly impossible tightrope to walk against this remaining schedule, which is why SportsLine gives Dallas a 5% chance to reach the postseason. 

Projected final record: 9-7-1

5. Carolina Panthers (6-5)

• Odds to win NFC South: +550
• Odds to make playoffs: +390

The Panthers escaped their Week 11 game at the Falcons with a 30-27 overtime victory to be 6-5 entering the back half of the season after quarterback Bryce Young threw for a franchise-record 448 yards to go along with three touchdowns. 

Despite the stat-stuffing showing, Young ranks bottom 10 among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (62.7%, 25th), yards/attempt (6.2, 27th) and passer rating (86.0) entering Week 12. Running back Rico Dowdle, whose 833 yards rushing rank as the fourth most in the NFL despite not starting until Week 5, has been excellent.

The bad news is the Panthers now have the third hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL (.590 opponents' combined win percentage). They have to play both the 8-2 Rams and the 7-3 Seahawks, the 6-4 Buccaneers twice and the feisty 7-4 49ers. Unless Young can magically come close to replicating his Week 11 performance, the Panthers will be sitting on the couch once again after Week 18. 

Projected final record: 7-10

4. San Francisco 49ers (6-4)

• Odds to win NFC West: +950
• Odds to make playoffs: -355

Whether Brock Purdy or Mac Jones has been the 49ers' starting quarterback this season, head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense has been able to produce through the air (league leading 261.4 passing yards per game.) That's incredibly impressive considering All-Pro tight end George Kittle has missed half the season (five games), wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has yet to return from a torn ACL and MCL he suffered last season and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has been out for six games thus far. 

Running back Christian McCaffrey is producing at a level somewhat close to his 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year season, with more than 600 yards rushing (626) and 600 yards receiving (692). That makes CMC just the fourth player in NFL history with over 600 yards rushing and over 600 yards receiving in his team's first 10 games of the season, along with Pro Bowl running back Timmy Brown (1965), 1980s All-Decade team member Roger Craig (1985) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (1998), per CBS Sports Research. 

It's also remarkable that the 49ers have been a league-average defense (23.0 points per game, 15th in the NFL) despite losing both All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa and All-Pro inside linebacker Fred Warner to season-ending injuries. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is working miracles in the Bay Area, and that should be enough for the 49ers to return to the playoffs in 2025. That's especially true considering the 49ers have the Cardinals, Browns and Panthers on their schedule the back half of the season. 

Projected final record: 11-6

3. Detroit Lions (6-4)

• Odds to win NFC North: +140
• Odds to make playoffs: -355

The Lions are limping at the moment, having lost three of their past five games after a 4-1 start. Two of the losses in this stretch are against the Super Bowl LIX participants: at the Kansas City Chiefs (a 30-17 loss in Week 6) and at the Philadelphia Eagles (a 16-9 loss in Week 11). However, the loss against the J.J. McCarthy-led Vikings in Week 9 (27-24) is aging like unrefrigerated milk. 

The Lions' schedule is one of the 10 toughest remaining slates in the league, as their opponents have a combined .535 winning percentage, giving Detroit the league's ninth toughest remaining slate. Games against the Packers (a team they lost to in Week 1), Rams and Steelers should be very educational as to how Detroit's 2025 season will turn out. The good news is they face the slump-busting, 2-9 New York Giants in Week 12. 

Projected final record: 11-6

2. Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)

• Odds to win NFC North: +140
• Odds to make playoffs: -340

The Packers are currently 6-3-1, but they have the potential to be significantly better. They have one of the best defenses in football, allowing just 19.6 points per game -- the seventh fewest in the NFL. 

All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons is making a difference for Green Bay with his 56 quarterback pressures, the second most in the league this season, to go along with 8.0 sacks, tied for the seventh most in the NFL. Pro Bowl edge rusher Rashan Gary is on pace for a career-high in sacks with 7.5 already, tied for the 10th most in the NFL, and both linebacker Quay Walker and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper are benefiting from the added attention Parsons attracts. 

However, a number of factors have led the Packers to rank in the middle of the pack in scoring offense (24.0 points per game, 13th in the NFL this season), despite quarterback Jordan Love performing at a top 10 level in 2025. 

• Injuries along the offensive line to center Elgton Jenkins and right tackle Zach Tom, have hurt, as well as regression by left tackle Rasheed Walker. 
• That's hampered Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs' efficiency, as he is averaging 3.8 yards per carry, the second lowest of his career. However, he is still finding the end zone: his 11 rushing touchdowns are the second most in the NFL this season and tied for the second most by a Packer through 10 games of a season in Green Bay history. 
• The offensive line issues are also impacting the passing game, both in execution and play-calling: the Packers' 37.8% quarterback pressure rate ranks 22nd in the league.
• Having a below-average pass-blocking unit and being without both tight end Tucker Kraft (torn ACL) and wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot injury) has led to head coach Matt LaFleur calling a conservative game plan this season: Green Bay is calling running plays on 49.3% of their first- and second-down plays this season, sixth-highest rate in the NFL. LaFleur is also calling play-action passes at just a 14.9% rate, 18th in the league. 

Mixing it up with more passes and more play-action on early downs to make better use of Love's arm and the speed of wide receivers like Christian Watson and first-round rookie Matthew Golden could cause a significant uptick in offensive production. If that happens, Green Bay could easily fly up the standings. The talent is there, even with its offensive injury issues. 

Projected final record: 12-4-1

1. Seattle Seahawks (7-3)

• Odds to win NFC West: +320
• Odds to make playoffs: -1800

The Seattle Seahawks joined the ranks of wild-card squads entering Week 12 after their narrow 21-19 road defeat at the Los Angeles Rams, which ended on a 61-yard missed field goal. However, the Seahawks will face the Rams again in Week 16. Depending on how that game and the next few weeks go, Seattle could certainly regain first place in the NFC West. 

Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold leads the NFL with a 9.3 yards per pass attempt average and 8.3 air yards per completion average. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Darnold have a great bounce-back game opportunity in Week 12 at the 1-9 Tennessee Titans after Darnold threw no touchdowns and four interceptions in the Week 11 loss to the Rams. 

Projected final record: 13-4