By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer
The NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night.
The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie.
The Vikings (14-2) held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18. The Lions (13-2) visit the San Francisco 49ers (6-9) on Monday night in a rematch of the NFC title game. If they win, they have to beat the Vikings again or tie. Detroit beat Minnesota 31-29 in Week 7. If they lose or tie, they must defeat the Vikings.
The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) clinched the NFC East and locked up the No. 2 seed with a 41-7 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. However, coach Nick Sirianni has a tough decision to make this week. Saquon Barkley is 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record for yards rushing in a season.
Sirianni has to decide whether to rest Barkley and most of his starters to prepare for the playoffs or let his star try for the 40-year-old record.
The Los Angeles Rams (10-6) clinched the NFC West and the Seattle Seahawks (9-7) were eliminated when the Commanders beat the Falcons 30-24 in overtime Sunday night. Washington (11-5) secured a wild-card berth with the win. The Commanders and the Packers (11-5) hold the final two NFC playoff spots.
Atlanta’s loss gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) control of the NFC South and dropped the Falcons (8-8) into second place. The Buccaneers would clinch the division with a victory or tie against Carolina next Sunday.
Three teams in the AFC have already secured their seeds. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) won the AFC West weeks ago and clinched the No. 1 seed.
The AFC East champion Buffalo Bills (13-3) are the No. 2 seed. The AFC South champion Houston Texans (9-7) are the No. 4 seed.
The Baltimore Ravens (11-5) would win the AFC North and get the No. 3 seed with a win or tie against Cleveland on Saturday or a loss or tie by Pittsburgh, which hosts Cincinnati on Saturday night.
If they don’t win the division, the Steelers have already clinched a wild-card berth. The Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) also secured a wild-card spot. They’ll be no lower than the sixth seed.
The final AFC playoff spot comes down to the Broncos (9-7), Dolphins (8-8) or Bengals (8-8).
Denver clinches with a win or tie against the Chiefs. The Dolphins need the Broncos to lose and they must beat the Jets on the road to get in. The Bengals must win and the Broncos and Dolphins have to lose for them to get in.
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