If there was anything messy about the NFC playoff picture it less so today. Let's check on the standings:
In the South, New Orleans now holds a 5 game lead over their next closest competitor. The Saints get week 12 off. They will have 2 weeks to prep for the New England Patriots, who have to come down to the Super Dome. Boy is that Dome going to be rockin'! The Saints could mathematically clinch their division with a huge victory over the Patriots. This game would show they are more than worthy to take on the Colts in the Super Bowl.
In the North, the #2 seed Vikings continue to hold a 3 game lead with just 6 games remaining. It will take them longer than the Saints to clinch, but not much longer.
In the West, the Cardinals just improved their lead to 3 games over the 4-6 49ers. Don't sweat the injury to Kurt Warner. He looked fine. They just didn't want to risk him. The Cards could be clinching the West pretty soon. Maybe as soon as 3 weeks.
This leaves us with the Cowboys, who maintain the shortest lead in the bunch: Just 1 game. They also have the Giants and the Eagles to contend with. Expect both the G-Men and Eagles to win those wildcard births. Green Bay continues to sputter.