When the Panthers play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, it will match up the No. 1 team in the NFC and the No. 16 team in the NFC.
And yet it doesn’t look like the blowout that you’d usually associate with the best team in the conference facing the worst team in the conference. Because the Cowboys, now that Tony Romo is back, aren’t the worst team in the conference -- and are still playoff contenders.
In any other NFC division, the Cowboys would be toast right now. But in the NFC East, they’re two games back with six games to play. If they can beat the Panthers on Thursday -- a big if -- the Cowboys could make a late run to the playoffs.
Here’s how the NFC playoff race looks through Week 11:
LEADERS 1. Panthers (10-0): Carolina has a four-game lead in the NFC South.
2. Cardinals (8-2): Arizona has a three-game lead in the NFC West.
3. Packers (7-3): Green Bay owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with Minnesota in the NFC North.
4. Giants (5-5): No one in the NFC East has a winning record, but the Giants are the one team in the division without a losing record.
5. Vikings (7-3): Minnesota has the inside track for the wild card, but Sunday’s home loss to the Packers makes the NFC North a tough row to hoe.
6. Falcons (6-4): Atlanta has almost no chance of catching Carolina in the NFC South, but a game lead over everyone else in the wild card race.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN 7. Buccaneers (5-5): Last year the Bucs were the worst team in the NFL. This year they’re in playoff contention. Things change fast in the NFL. The Bucs own the tiebreaker with the Seahawks thanks to a better conference record.
8. Seahawks (5-5): The Seahawks will be a team no one wants to play if they make the playoffs, but for now they’re still a game back.
9. Washington (4-6): Washington is only a game behind the Giants in the NFC East and owns the conference record tiebreaker over all the other 4-6 NFC teams.
10. Rams (4-6): The Rams are on a three-game losing streak, and with the Bengals and Cardinals as their next two opponents, they’ll probably be 4-8 and out of the playoff picture in two weeks.
11. Eagles (4-6): Philadelphia sure didn’t look like a playoff team on Sunday, but the Eagles are only a game out in the NFC East.
12. Saints (4-6): A wild card berth is a long shot unless the defense can engineer a dramatic turnaround.
13. Bears (4-6): They’re a playoff long shot, but they can play spoilers by beating the Packers on Thanksgiving.
14. Lions (3-7): Detroit is on a two-game winning streak, but it’s too little, too late. The Lions do have the conference record tiebreaker over both the 49ers and the Cowboys.
15. 49ers (3-7): San Francisco owns the tiebreaker over Dallas, based on strength of victory.
16. Cowboys (3-7): They’ll probably need to run the table with Tony Romo to win the NFC East.
