The Wire · @fahad
7 NFC contenders, 5 playoff spots: the two-team squeeze
There are 7 NFC contenders fighting for 5 playoff spots, and the source asks which two teams will miss the postseason. USA TODAY Sports breaks down eight players to start and eight players to sit ahead of Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season.
The NFC squeeze
There are 7 NFC contenders fighting for 5 playoff spots. The math is blunt: two teams will miss the postseason.
The source asks which two teams will miss the postseason, but it does not name them. That leaves the NFC race as a standings puzzle, not a matchup edge.
Fantasy angle
USA TODAY Sports breaks down eight players to start and eight players to sit ahead of Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season. For fantasy managers, that is the sharper weekly signal than guessing at the two NFC contenders that will miss the postseason.