Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season was an important one. With the trade deadline taking place this Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 4:00 p.m. ET, this was the last chance for teams to figure out what to do for the rest of the season. Do they sell their top players and impending free agents for draft capital? Or do they make a splash trade for a big-name player to help them with their push for a playoff spot?
Regarding the playoff picture in the NFC, the final half of the season should be a wild one.
The Philadelphia Eagles showed that they stand alone in a tier by themselves, as they defeated the Washington Commanders 38-31 to improve to 7-1 on the season. One team that had been neck-and-neck with the Eagles has fallen down the standings as of late, and they are the San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco lost their first game of the season in Week 6 in brutal and controversial fashion to the Cleveland Browns. Then, in Week 7, they watched Kirk Cousins pick up his third "Monday Night Football" win of his career at their expense. Then, this Sunday, the 49ers were defeated 31-17 by the Cincinnati Bengals in a return to form by Joe Burrow. Quarterback Brock Purdy, who cleared concussion protocol before Sunday, threw for 365 yards (22-of-31 on pass attempts), one touchdown, and two interceptions.
With the 49ers' losing streak extending to three games, where do they stand in the NFC playoff picture? Let's look and see which teams are in postseason position.
Updated NFL Playoff Picture after Week 8
- Philadelphia Eagles (7-1)*
- Seattle Seahawks (5-2)*
- Detroit Lions (5-2)* [Still to play Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8]
- Atlanta Falcons (4-4)*
- Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-3)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-4)
- New Orleans Saints (4-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (3-5)
- Washington Commanders (3-5)
- Green Bay Packers (2-5)
- Chicago Bears (2-5) [Still to play Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8]
- New York Giants (2-6)
- Carolina Panthers (1-6)
- Arizona Cardinals (1-7)
Bold denotes the teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended after Week 8. * denotes the division winners.
As noted, the Eagles stand alone atop the NFC standings. The 49ers, meanwhile, fall all the way down to the sixth seed in the NFC. With that, they see the rival Seattle Seahawks take control of the NFC West division after a 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns improved their record to 5-2 on the season.
Rounding out the teams in the Wild Card spots are the Dallas Cowboys after their dominating win over the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, who beat the Green Bay Packers but might have lost Cousins for the season due to an Achilles injury.
Teams like the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just outside the playoff picture but could either take the NFC South away from the Atlanta Falcons or sneak in with one of the final Wild Card spots. There's still a lot of season left for teams to turn things around and get back in the picture.
Key games in Week 9 for NFC Playoff Picture
There is one huge game set for Week 9 in the NFC, and it's between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. With a win, the Cowboys can actually take the No. 1 seed away from the Eagles by way of their head-to-head record against one another this season. After all, this is the first time this season that the two teams will face off against one another.
Other games to look out for are the New Orleans Saints taking on the Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons facing the Minnesota Vikings. The Saints can possess first place in the NFC South with a win over the Bears and a Falcons loss to the Vikings.