With their ninth straight victory, the New Orleans Saints became the first NFL team to clinch a postseason berth. New Orleans mercifully skipped the week of upsets in both the NFC and AFC; the Steelers relinquished their undefeated record to Comeback Player of the Year shoo-in Alex Smith, while the New York Giants managed to defeat the Seattle Seahawks without their starting quarterback.
The NFC standings through Week 13 are as follows:
(1) New Orleans Saints (10-2)
(2) Green Bay Packers (9-3)
(3) Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
(4) New York Giants (5-7)
(5) Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
(6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
(7) Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
The Packers assumed the No.