In the Hunt
8. San Francisco 49ers (6-4)
Status: After opening 3-0, the 49ers have alternated between a loss and a win for the past seven weeks, including last week’s 42-26 decision claimed by the Rams. San Francisco has already carded six NFC wins, which could be important if conference record becomes a tiebreaker along the way.
9. Carolina Panthers (5-5)
Week 18 @ Buccaneers (6-3)
Status: It’s a little hard to pinpoint things for a Panthers team that has a 30-0 win (against the Falcons in Week 3), a 42-13 loss (at the Patriots in Week 4) and a 40-9 loss (against the Bills in Week 8). Carolina followed a win at Green Bay in Week 9 by losing at home to New Orleans.