By BOB FOX

JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox takes a weekly look at the NFC playoff picture. Fox writes for numerous sports publications. He brings an insightful take on the conference. 

JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox says the Vikings will ride Adrian Peterson to a win against the Giants and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Fox says the Bucs will grab the No. 6 seed and head to Minnesota next week.

This is Santa’s week to visit, and the Bucs are the biggest beneficiaries of his arrival.

First, Santa told the Bucs to give themselves a present by elevating Raheem Morris to defensive coordinator starting next year, as longtime defensive coordinator/guru Monte Kiffin is heading to the University of Tennessee after the season.  Morris is an excellent choice, and Santa knows that.  Plus, Santa is sending the Oakland Raiders to Raymond James stadium this Sunday to face the Bucs in a must win game for the Buccos.  Yes, the Raiders can surprise at times, but the Bucs should be able to handle Chucky’s former team again and win going away.  Finally, Santa is sending the imploding Dallas Cowboys and their prima donna owner to Philadelphia to face the dangerous Eagles, and their equally dangerous fans.  Security needs to be tight around Jerry Jones, as Santa is going to give him and the Cowboys a bag of coal in the form of an Eagles will win.

NFC East
z-New York Giants 12-3
Dallas Cowboys 9-6
Philadelphia Eagles 8-6-1
Washington Redskins 8-7

The Giants have won the division and are the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.  They will still play hard in Minnesota this weekend, but I still expect that Tom Coughlin will rest some regulars at times to keep them healthy for the playoffs.  The BIG game, of course, is the the Cowboys-Eagles game in the city of brotherly love.  The game will be played after the Raiders-Bucs game, so the participants will know what is at stake.  No matter what, the Eagles will play hard and I expect Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook to lead the way again as the Cowboys seem better suited for a network soap opera, as opposed to being a NFL team with playoff aspirations.

NFC North
Minnesota Vikings 9-6
Chicago Bears 9-6
Green Bay Packers 5-10
Detroit Lions 0-15

The Vikings should be able to hold off the Giants at the Humpty dome, as the Giants really are playing for nothing.  The Bears, who stole a win from the jaws of defeat against the Packers on Monday night, face a tough test in Houston.  I see the Vikings winning the division.  The question will be who will lead the Vikes at QB in the playoffs.  My money says Tavaris Jackson.  In another game that has absolutely no meaning to the playoff picture, but will have the eyes of the Tampa area on it, the 0-15 Lions will face the 5-10 Packers at Lambeau Field.  The Lions have not won in Green Bay since 1991, and if they lose, they will be the first team ever to go 0-16, surpassing even the 1976 Bucs team that went 0-14. 

NFC South
y-Carolina Panthers 11-4
y-Atlanta Falcons 10-5
Tampa Bay Bucs 9-6
New Orleans Saints 8-7

After Carolina lost a hard fought battle against the Giants last Sunday night for conference supremacy,  the Panthers will most likely be the number No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Panthers face a tough test this Sunday against the Saints in New Orleans, a game Carolina needs to wrap up the division and the No. 2 seed without help.  The Falcons are a Wild Card team (for now) after their win in Minnesota last weekend.  The Falcons will be the No. 5 seed at worst, and maybe the No. 2 seed at best, as they will host the Rams in Atlanta this weekend.  Whatever team grabs the No. 5 seed will face the suddenly hapless Arizona Cardinals on the road in the first round of the playoffs.  I see the Bucs becoming the No. 6 seed after their win vs. the Raiders and the Cowboys loss to the Eagles.  The Bucs would then need to travel to Minnesota to play the Vikes in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.  The Bucs did beat the Vikings earlier this year, but that game was at the Ray Jay.

NFC West
z-Arizona Cardinals 8-7
San Francisco 49ers 6-9
Seattle Seahawks 4-11
St. Louis Rams 2-13

Has any team ever stumbled as badly as the Cardinals have fallen lately on their road to the playoffs?  The Cards are playing as ineptly as their owner has operated the team for decades.  The Cardinals also play in the absolute WORST division in the NFL right now.  The Cards will face the Seahawks at home, and based on the way the Hawks played at home vs. the Jets last weekend, and the way the Cardinals were embarrassed at New England last weekend, don’t be surprised to see a Seahawks win, especially in Mike Holmgren’s last game as Seahawks coach.  The Cardinals will try and build some momentum for the playoffs, but don’t hold your breath.

z– Clinched Division Title
y– Clinched Playoff Spot