Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The NFC playoff picture is very exciting entering Week 18 of the season, with plenty of changes to the seedings possible depending on what happens.

Entering Week 18, only two teams are locked into their spots: the 8-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the No. 4 spot in the NFC as the NFC South winners. 

The New York Giants have the No. 6 spot as the second wild card team. Everything else is up for grabs.

We already went through the scenarios for the final wild card spot in the NFC between the Packers, Lions and Seahawks (see it here).

Now it’s time to look at the race for the Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5 spots, which involves the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys.

EAGLES (13-3, current No. 1, vs. Giants in Week 18)

No. 1 seed with win
No. 1 seed with loss + Cowboys loss + 49ers loss
No. 2 seed with loss + Cowboys loss + 49ers win
No. 5 seed with loss + Cowboys win

49ERS (12-4, current No. 2, vs. Arizona in Week 18)

No. 1 seed with win + Eagles loss
No. 2 seed with win + Eagles win
No. 3 seed with loss + Vikings win

VIKINGS (12-4, current No. 3, at Bears in Week 18)

No. 2 seed with win + 49ers loss
No. 3 seed in all other scenarios

COWBOYS (12-4, current No. 5, at Commanders in Week 18)

No. 1 seed with win + Eagles loss + 49ers loss
No. 2 seed with win + Eagles loss + 49ers win
No. 5 seed with win + Eagles win
No. 5 seed with loss

Here is a helpful guide to show every single scenario for the NFC standings.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Report: Cowboys quietly 'all in' on Dak Prescott decision
Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight temporarily postponed
Diamondbacks ace heading to injured list with hamstring strain
Golden Knights, key winger have mutual interest but face financial crunch
Caitlin Clark frustrated by physical WNBA play: 'I feel like I'm getting hammered'
Pelicans to defer Lakers' first-rounder to 2025
Former top-10 WR pick speaks on retirement regret, comeback try
Pistons make major front-office firing
Orioles lose two starting pitchers to season-ending surgeries
Cavaliers to interview Knicks, Heat assistants for HC opening
Cowboys RB trying out new position during OTAs
Lions sign second-round cornerback
Why Timberwolves players skipped TNT interview after Game 4
Yankees' Aaron Judge, Juan Soto make MLB history with impressive offensive numbers
Guardians designate once-vaunted outfielder for assignment
Inside source shares telling comment about Juan Soto's feelings on Mets
Bills give Olympic gold medalist chance in NFL
New kickoff rule has Chiefs considering radical, outside-the-box strategy
One rookie quarterback is showing 'elite downfield accuracy' during OTAs
Luka Doncic discusses what T-Wolves fan said to fire him up in Game 5 win

Want more NFL news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.