NFL Standings: Packers, Seahawks, Falcons Fighting for NFC Wild Card Spots

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Dec 01, 2015 02:47 PM EST

No, that's not a mistake in the title. The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks are fighting for wild card spots at the moment as neither of those two squads lead their respective divisions. Just about everybody expected both the Packers and Seahawks to be leading their divisions at this point in the season, especially considering the fact that they were each in the NFC Championship game last year.

The Packers are presently the No. 5 seed in the NFC because the Minnesota Vikings lead the NFC North. Even though the Packers defeated the Vikings in Week 11, the Vikings have a better overall record at 8-3. The Packers are 7-4. This is surprising considering they only lost four games all of last year. The loss of Jordy Nelson is clearly taking its toll on the Packers offense. The Packers have won the NFC North the last four consecutive seasons.

Since their 38-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, the Packers have only hit the 30-point mark once more. Receivers simply aren't getting open. Randall Cobb and James Jones are putting up productive numbers, but they are dropping far too many passes and not beating one on one coverage enough. The Vikings will most likely have to beat the Packers in the final week of the season at Lambeau Field if they are going to win the NFC North.

As for the two time defending NFC champions, they too are in second place in their division. The Seattle Seahawks have won four of their last five games, but they're clearly not the same dominant defensive force as last year. Russell Wilson is getting sacked at an alarming rate, and the Seahawks aren't playing at home like we're used to seeing. If it weren't for a blown call in the end zone in Week 4 on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions, this team could very well be 5-6. The Seahawks will play their next two games on the road, against the Vikings and Baltimore Ravens.

The Arizona Cardinals lead the NFC West with an impressive 9-2 record. Only the Carolina Panthers have a better record in the NFC. Let's not forget that the Cardinals were 6-0 last season before Carson Palmer tore his ACL.

The last two years, in which the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl, they were the No. 1 seed with home field advantage throughout the playoffs. In each of those years, the Seahawks had three losses and four losses. With five losses already, a lot of doubt is starting to creep in.

By far the most disappointing November belonged to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were a miserable 0-4 in November, and have fallen in the NFC standings big time. A month ago it looked like the Falcons were going to give the Panthers a run for their money to win the NFC South, but now, they are just trying to make the playoffs. The Falcons are currently the No. 7 seed in the NFC with a 6-5 record. The Falcons and Seahawks each have identical 6-5 records, but the Seahawks hold the tiebreaker because they have a superior conference record. Matt Ryan has to stop turning the ball over in the red zone.

The Washington Redskins may only be 5-6, but that's good enough for first place in the NFC East at the moment. Because the Redskins lead their division, they are automatically the No. 4 seed in the NFC.

If the season were to end today the Panthers and Cardinals would have a bye week in the first round of the playoffs. The Vikings and Seahawks would play each other in Minnesota while the Redskins and Packers would face off in Washington.