Power ranking the NFC's four 6-2 squads

As we reach the official halfway point of the NFL season, the playoff picture is beginning to come into focus. This is particularly true in the NFC, as four different teams currently possess a record of 6-2. 

With respect to the 49ers, Lions and Packers, those four teams look to have an inside track toward the NFC’s top seed and the all-important first-round bye. Here’s a look at how each of them stacks up.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Even with Mike Evans sidelined, the Buccaneers still possess one of the NFL’s best offenses. Baker Mayfield is playing at an MVP level, thanks in large part to wide receiver Emeka Egbuka looking like a front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The impending return of running back Bucky Irving should add some much-needed balance to their attack, as they currently rank just 26th in the NFL in total rushing yards.

The difference between the Buccaneers and the other NFC contenders comes on the defensive side of the ball. While defensive tackle Vita Vea leads a stout run defense, their pass defense ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in yards per game and got absolutely tormented by Sam Darnold in Week 5. 

Their two postseason losses in the Mayfield era have been due to an inability to get Jared Goff and Jayden Daniels off the field. It appears that their inability to slow down elite quarterbacks will once again be their downfall.  

3. Seattle Seahawks

It feels like everyone is waiting for Sam Darnold to turn back into a pumpkin, but that simply isn’t happening. In fact, it seems like he’s getting better as the season goes along, as he tossed four touchdowns and completed 87.5 percent of his passes in a Sunday night demolition of the Commanders. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is mounting a real threat to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record, and young players like Tory Horton and Elijah Arroyo are emerging as legitimate complementary pieces. On the other side of the ball, the defense is young, fast and explosive, ranking fifth in points per game allowed and allowing the fewest yards per carry in the NFL.

If there is one thing the Seahawks lack, it’s big-game experience. So much of their roster has never even played in the postseason, and Darnold struggled mightily in last year’s wild-card loss to the Rams. Because of this, it’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt over the next two teams on the list, but they have proved that they are more than just a nice story.