National Football League

Packers hold NFC's top seed, with Cowboys, Bucs, Rams in pursuit

Published Dec. 26, 2021 11:45 p.m. ET

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The NFC's road to Super Bowl LVI might again run through the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Green Bay Packers have the inside track to the conference's top seed, which comes with home-field advantage and the NFC's only playoff bye.

The scenario is a lot like last season, when the Pack were home for the entire postseason and secured a divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Rams before falling to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship.

Both the Rams and Bucs are again in close pursuit of that top seed, along with the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys.

Here's how the division leaders stack up following Week 16.

Green Bay Packers (12-3) 

Green Bay clinched the NFC North last week after scraping by Baltimore in a riveting 31-30 victory, then followed up with a 24-22 win over the Browns on Saturday to improve to 12-3. Now sole owners of the NFL's best record, the Pack have emerged as viable Super Bowl favorites.

Aaron Rodgers is making a strong charge to repeat as NFL MVP, while Davante Adams is arguably the league's best receiver. Adams currently ranks second in the NFL in catches (106) and yards (1,362) and is tied for third in touchdowns with 10.

The Packers' offense features great balance, with playmaker Aaron Jones and power runner AJ Dillon providing a multifaceted ground game.

Green Bay will rely heavily upon its star-studded defense. The Packers have forced at least two takeaways in more than half of their games and are coming off a four-interception performance against Baker Mayfield. 

The Pack remain in the conference's pole position.

What's next? The Packers host Minnesota next Sunday, then finish the season at Detroit on Jan. 9.

Dallas Cowboys (11-4)

The Cowboys will always demand a massive amount of attention. But as the playoffs approach, the current edition in Dallas appears to be more than worthy of the hype.

After a 56-14 demolition of the Washington Football Team on Sunday night, the Cowboys won their third NFC East title in the last six seasons, and this team might be the best of the Dak Prescott era. Dallas sits in the No. 2 seed with two weeks left.

Their offense is averaging 30.4 points per game, and has a bevy of weapons in Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, making the Cowboys a threat to score in a variety of ways.

Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs are both legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidates and spearheading a defense that is peaking at the right time.

If Prescott can continue to guide a loaded offense, while the defense dominates up front and in the secondary, the Cowboys could have all the key ingredients to make a Super Bowl run.

What's next? The Cowboys don't have easy sledding the rest of the way, playing host to Arizona next Sunday before ending their season Jan. 9 against the Eagles, who have won three straight and five of their past six.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4)

Tom Brady and the Bucs needed to get right Sunday, coming off a 9-0 beatdown by the Saints last week. That was just the third time Brady had been shut out in his career (361 starts) and the first time it had happened in 15 years (Dec. 10, 2006).

Judging by the team's performance in Week 16, none of that negativity accompanied the Super Bowl champions into the final week of December. 

Brady was back to his old habits against Carolina, completing 18 of his 30 pass attempts for 232 yards and a touchdown.

Brady's push for the fourth MVP of his career has become even more difficult, given his reduced receiving corps. Mike Evans missed the Carolina game with a hamstring ailment, and Chris Godwin will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. That will shift the brunt of responsibility to Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski, and Brady has built creditable connections with both.

Then there's the defense, which has the fifth-best takeaway total in the NFL (15), in addition to the eighth-most sacks (37). The group took care of business Sunday, allowing their second-lowest point total of the season in the 32-6 victory over Carolina.

To repeat, the Bucs will need their defense to continue that excellence.

What's next? The Bucs (11-4) have clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2007. The rest of their schedule is favorable: next Sunday at the Jets and at home Jan. 9 against the Panthers.

Los Angeles Rams (11-4)

Los Angeles' win-now moves appear to finally be paying off.

It took a while for the group to fuse into the Super Bowl-caliber unit many envisioned after the Rams acquired Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller.

Beckham has a TD catch in four of his past five games as he continues to make the best of his new digs, and Matt Stafford is currently third in the league with 4,339 passing yards and second in TDs (36). He leads the league with 17 completions of 40 yards or more.

Cooper Kupp might rival Adams for best receiver in the league. An MVP candidate himself, Kupp has a league-leading 132 receptions (26 more than Adams, who is second), 1,734 yards, 14 TDs, 25 catches of 20-plus yards and eight of 40-plus. He leads the league in all categories. 

Meanwhile, on defense, the Rams might have the best interior defensive lineman (Aaron Donald) and cover corner (Jalen Ramsey) in football, and Miller's presence as a potent pass-rusher provides an invaluable boost. 

If any team can give the Packers a run for their money in the "hottest team" department, it's L.A., which has won four straight to grab the NFC West lead from Arizona.

The Rams might have a cold-weather rematch with the Pack awaiting in the postseason. Green Bay bested L.A. in late November, winning 36-28 behind 307 yards and two TDs from Rodgers. 

What's next? The Rams head to Baltimore to take on the Ravens next Sunday, then take on the 49ers at home on Jan. 9.

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Rob Gronkowski

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