2021 NFL Playoff Picture Week 13 - 5 NFC teams who can finish as the top seed

There's still time for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to make things right in the NFC East (Photo: Getty)

Dallas Cowboys (7-4)

Cowboys fans are used to early winter collapses, and that feeling is starting to creep up again: America's Team has lost three of its last four since a 6-1 start, and they'll have to work through tomorrow's Thursday night contest against New Orleans (8:20 p.m. ET, Fox/NFL Network) without head coach Mike McCarthy, who has been sidelined by the COVID-19 list. The Cowboys let up a season-worst 509 yards and forced no turnovers in a 36-33 loss to Las Vegas last week, their third consecutive loss on Thanksgiving Day.

In Dallas' defense, they're picking the "right" games to lose, if there is such a thing. Only one of their losses has come against a conference foe (a kickoff Thursday night loss in Tampa Bay) and that could come up big in a multi-team tiebreaker. The Cowboys also caught a break, thanks to a divisional brother, as the New York Giants' 13-7 win over Philadelphia delayed the Eagles surge toward the top of the conference.

Odell Bekcham Jr. was able to share a smile with Erin Andrews, but the Rams' recent play has been no laughing matter (Photo: Getty)

Los Angeles Rams (7-4)

Current owners of the top NFC wild card, the Rams are starting to look like one of the big budget Hollywood flops that shoot nearby: they've only lost ground in the NFC West since adding Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr., though the latter was finally able to visit the end zone for the first time during the 36-28 defeat at the hands of the Packers.

It'd be foolhardy to count out a team with this much firepower, even if time is running out. The Rams will enjoy a bit of a break this weekend, as the wayward Jacksonville Jaguars visit SoFi Stadium on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox).