NFL Playoff Picture: Packers, Seahawks & Vikings Fighting for Better NFC Playoff Seeds

By Damon Salvadore Dec 28 2015, 14:10 PM EST

Only one week remains in this 2015 NFL season, but so much is still left to be determined.

We already know the six teams that will be competing against one another in the NFC postseason, but we do not know the exact seedings. So many different combinations remain possible.

Don't worry. We have got you covered.

The Carolina Panthers have been the No. 1 seed all year long, and it looks like it's going to stay that way, despite the loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The only way Cam Newton and the Panthers are in danger of losing that top spot is if they fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home.

The Arizona Cardinals have already clinched a first round bye in the postseason as well. That's huge for both squads because it guarantees an extra week of rest.

The bigger mystery going forward is where the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will land. The Packers are currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC with a 10-5 record, but have fallen off quite a bit lately. Their last game against the Cardinals was a complete embarrassment. If the Packers lose next week to the Vikings they will fall to the No. 5 seed in the NFC, a wild card spot.

The Packers beat the Vikings earlier in the season, 30-13. The Vikings would take over the NFC North with a win next week because they have a superior division record. The Packers have lost (at home) to both the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, but have just one divisional defeat.

The Seattle Seahawks suffered a huge loss in Week 16, and it will cost them. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks were swept by the St. Louis Rams, bringing their overall record to 9-6. The only win against a playoff caliber team this season for the Seahawks came against the Vikings in Week 13.

It's going to be tough for the team with so many injuries among their running backs. The Seahawks are now the No. 6 seed in the NFC. The only way they can overtake the Vikings for the No. 5 spot is if they defeat the Cardinals next week and if the Vikings lose as well.

Regardless, the Seahawks will enter this postseason as a wild card team, as opposed to the previous two years when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

The only seed that is 100 percent locked up in the NFC is No. 4. The Washington Redskins have won the putrid NFC East this year, while the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles can start preparing for the NFL draft. That means that the Redskins will take on the No. 5 seed.

If the season were to end today, the Panthers and Cardinals would get bye weeks in the first round of the playoffs. The Packers would play the Seahawks at Lambeau Field, while the Redskins would play the Vikings in Washington.