Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith will prepare to face his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, while recovering from chest pains and a comeback victory over the Carolina Falcons. With a win on Thursday, maybe Smith's heart will rest easy as every win gets his team one step closer to another playoff bid.
Here are the updated NFC playoff scenarios headed into week 15:
| Rank | NFC | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | REASON |
| 1 | z - Green Bay | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 4-0-0 | 10-0-0 | .446 | .446 | NFC North Champ |
| 2 | z - San Francisco | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 3-1-0 | 8-2-0 | .449 | .406 | NFC West Champ Wins tie break over New Orleans based on best win percentage in conference games. |
| 3 | x - New Orleans | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 3-1-0 | 6-3-0 | .464 | .454 | NFC South Champ |
| 4 | NY Giants | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 2-2-0 | 4-6-0 | .515 | .433 | NFC East Champ (Wins tie break over Dallas based on head-to-head win percentage.) |
| 5 | Atlanta | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 2-2-0 | 6-4-0 | .470 | .340 | Wins tie break over Detroit based on head-to-head win percentage. |
| 6 | Detroit | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 3-2-0 | 6-5-0 | .515 | .375 | |
| 7 | Chicago | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 2-2-0 | 6-3-0 | .521 | .407 | Wins tie break over Dallas based on best win percentage in conference games. |
| 8 | Dallas | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 2-2-0 | 5-4-0 | .467 | .382 | |
| 9 | Arizona | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | 3-2-0 | 6-5-0 | .470 | .395 | |
| 10 | Seattle | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 2-1-0 | 4-4-0 | .516 | .469 | |
| 11 | Philadelphia | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 3-1-0 | 4-6-0 | .491 | .375 |
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