National Football League

Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle for NFC's top seed

Updated Dec. 20, 2021 1:43 p.m. ET

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Coming into Week 15, the race for the NFC's No. 1 seed was neck and neck … and neck.

The Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all carried 10-3 records ahead of Sunday's matchups, and all three were in action on the day.

By virtue of tiebreakers, the Packers held the No. 1 seed over the other two teams coming into play, and Tampa Bay held the No. 2 seed over Arizona.

Wins are the best way to avoid those convoluted scenarios, though.

Which teams helped — or hurt — their respective cases Sunday? Here is how the race is shaping up. 

CARDINALS
Week 15 outcome: Lost 30-12 at Detroit Lions
Remaining schedule: Week 16 vs. Indianapolis Colts, Week 17 at Dallas Cowboys, Week 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks

After losing their grip on the top seed with a loss Monday night to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14, the struggles continued for Arizona. The Cardinals suffered a major setback against the Lions, who came into Week 15 with a 1-11-1 record. The Lions doubled their win total with a stunning victory against Kyler Murray & Co.

While the league's fourth-ranked defense coming into this week (19.5 points per game) will rue giving up 30 points, Arizona's fourth-ranked offense (28.2 PPG) really struggled in the Motor City.

The Cardinals were shut out 17-0 heading into halftime and mustered just 85 total yards heading into the break. The backbreaker ahead of the half came when the Cardinals failed to convert on fourth-and-goal from Detroit's 3-yard line, then allowed the Lions to march a penalty-aided 97 yards for a touchdown, making the score 17-0.

Murray finished 23-for-41 for 257 yards, one touchdown and one interception, with the TD coming in the fourth quarter, when the game was largely out of hand. Alarmingly, against a team that had allowed opponents to score on 100% of their red-zone trips coming into the game, the Cardinals failed to score a touchdown on their four red-zone opportunities, settling for two field goals overall. 

The Cardinals are now 0-4 under head coach Kliff Kingsbury in games in which they can clinch a playoff berth with a victory.

They could still clinch a playoff spot with some help elsewhere around the league this week, but their hopes of earning the NFC's No. 1 seed — and the bye week that comes with it — dwindled by not locking down a win against the eliminated Lions. In fact, the Cardinals dropped to No. 4, as the opportunistic Dallas Cowboys jumped right into the mix to hold the No. 2 seed following Sunday's action.

Jared Goff's three touchdown passes lead Lions to shocking 30-12 victory

Jared Goff led the Detroit Lions to their second victory of the season behind three touchdown passes.

PACKERS
Week 15 outcome: Won 31-30 at Baltimore Ravens
Remaining schedule: Week 16 vs. Cleveland Browns, Week 17 vs. Minnesota Vikings, Week 18 at Lions

The Packers weathered a spirited storm from the shorthanded Ravens, earning a hard-fought win on the road.

Despite several missing starters on both sides of the football, including superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, the now 8-6 Ravens mounted a 16-play, 75-yard opening drive with backup QB Tyler Huntley at the helm.

However, Green Bay buckled down on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line to force a turnover on downs. Even so, the Ravens started the scoring with a TD on their next possession. The two teams then exchanged touchdowns on the following three possessions, leaving the game tied at 14 at the half.

The high drama carried into the second half. Aaron Rodgers made history in the fourth quarter, tying Brett Favre's franchise record with his 442nd career touchdown pass, which gave the Packers an 11-point lead after the successful extra point.

A field goal pushed their advantage to 31-17 with 9:26 remaining, but Huntley and the Ravens wouldn't go quietly. When the 23-year-old QB wasn't linking up with tight end Mark Andrews, who had a whopping 10 catches for 136 yards and two TDs, Huntley was scrambling for a game-high 74 rushing yards.

Huntley scampered into the end zone twice in the game's final five minutes to cut the deficit to 31-30, setting up a dramatic finish with less than a minute to go. Rather than kicking the extra point, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh forced the issue with a two-point attempt.

But the Packers blanketed Andrews on that occasion, thwarting the attempt and giving Green Bay a division-clinching win.

In his team's three-game winning streak, Rodgers has nine touchdowns and no interceptions. He finished the game 23-for-31 for 268 yards, with three touchdowns and a 132.2 passer rating.

Sunday was a close shave for the Packers, but with two of their final three games at home, Rodgers has a golden opportunity in the coming weeks to take sole possession of Green Bay's passing touchdown record at Lambeau Field.

Aaron Rodgers continues his MVP campaign, throwing for three TDs to equal Brett Favre's TD record as a Packer against Ravens

Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and tied Brett Favre's TD record as a Packer in Green Bay's 31-30 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

BUCCANEERS
Week 15 outcome: Lost 9-0 vs. New Orleans Saints
Remaining schedule: Week 16 at Carolina Panthers, Week 17 at New York Jets, Week 18 vs. Panthers

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers came up short while trying to avenge their early-season loss to New Orleans.

The 9-0 defeat Sunday marked only the third shutout of Brady's 20-year career as a starter and the first since Week 14 of the 2006 season, when he was a member of the New England Patriots. Brady is now 0-4 against the Saints in the regular season since joining Tampa Bay.

On a night when they were looking to clinch their first NFC South title since 2007, the Bucs lost Leonard Fournette, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, all of whom exited the game after sustaining various injuries. Headed into the contest, Tampa Bay was already without receiver Breshad Perriman, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, and Antonio Brown, who is serving a three-game suspension.

Brady went 26-for-48 for 214 yards and two turnovers (one fumble and one interception) Sunday. He was sacked four times, twice by Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who notched his 100th career sack in the process.

Neither team found the end zone, as all nine of New Orleans' points came from field goals. 

So, following the action Sunday, the top of the NFC standings shaped up as such:

• No. 1: Packers (11-3)
• No. 2: Cowboys (10-4)
• No. 3: Buccaneers (10-4)
• No. 4: Cardinals (10-4)

Who will lock down the top seed? The race continues next week over the Christmas holiday. 

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