Here are the latest playoff standings, with the Green Bay Packers leading the NFC but the race as tight as ever after Week 8.

And while it’s still too early to rule anyone but the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants out of postseason consideration in the NFC, it’s time to start looking ahead to who the Detroit Lions ’ biggest competition will be to reach the Super Bowl.

The current landscape of the NFC shapes up well for the 49ers to not only make the playoffs, but also do damage once they get there. Of course, they can’t afford any injuries and need Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk healthy, not to mention Brock Purdy. It’s not realistic to expect the defense to hold opponents to ten points as they did in Week 7.

Dan Campbell discusses the Lions’ mindset for November and how Detroit plans to contain J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings’ offense.

Entering Week 7, 12 NFC teams still have at least a 10 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to Austin Mock's NFL Projection Model.

Going into Week 8, the NFC had a 25-13 record against the AFC during the 2025 season, a win percentage of 66 percent. For perspective, that was a higher win rate for the NFC than in any NFL season previously, outside of 1970 — the first year of the NFL-AFL merger.

Seven weeks into the 2025 NFL season, the AFC's four division leaders are the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. That brings back memories from a decade ago when those teams were quarterbacked by Andrew Luck, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, respectively.