NFC East: The state of this division has turned entirely on its head in the space of a month. The Dallas Cowboys (6-2) have emerged as front-runners, sparked by the play of young WR Miles Austin. As last Sunday’s loss to the Packers demonstrated, however, they remain light years behind the Saints and the Vikings. The Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) have played unbelievable football at times (against the New York Giants three weeks ago) and have been shockingly incompetent at others (against the Raiders the week before that). They’re a mystery, but they could eke out 10 wins. As for the New York Giants (5-4), they were considered the class of the NFC until four weeks ago, when they apparently decided to stop playing football. Since then, they’ve lost four straight, two in embarrassing fashion. The rest of their schedule is tough, so they had better right the ship during the bye week. Otherwise, there won’t be playoff football in (well, near) the Big Apple this winter. The Washington Redskins (2-6), for their part, are just sad. Can you imagine anything more humiliating than being stripped of play-calling duties as head coach of a football team? Well, it happened to Jim Zorn, the ’Skins’ deer-in-the-headlights head coach. Insert your bailout/stimulus package joke here.

NFC West: While the NFC West has been largely putrid in the past few years, its champions have demonstrated a proclivity for reaching the Super Bowl. After a poor start to the season, the latest of these Western Cinderellas — the 2008 NFC champion Arizona Cardinals (6-3) — have gone 5-1. As they play two .500 or better teams over the remainder of the season, the Cardinals’ playoff hopes appear secure. Like last year, their explosive offense should make them troublesome in January. The San Francisco 49ers (4-5) have reversed the Cardinals’ experience; they went 3-1 in the first five weeks of the season, then 1-4 thereafter. In many ways, they are like the Jets of the NFC. The Niners win when their defense dominates and they can move the ball on the ground. If the second quarterback Alex Smith era proves more fruitful than the first, they could be a playoff team next year. The Seattle Seahawks (3-6) were once consistently the class of this division. Now they’re simply nondescript. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is in the twilight of his career, and runningback Julius Jones ain’t no Shaun Alexander. The St. Louis Rams (1-8) mercifully got the opportunity to play the Lions this season, and got a little frisky against the Saints this past Sunday. Adding insult to injury, the Bucs, Lions and Browns may conspire to prevent the Lambs from getting the top draft pick this spring. The best thing that can be said about St. Louis is that Rush Limbaugh won’t be taking the reins to reprise the glory days of all white professional football.

NFC North: In the Norse division, as Chris Berman used to call it, the Norsemen are king. Unlike Benedict Arnold, turncoat quarterback Brett Favre seems to have backed the winning horse in the Minnesota Vikings (8-1). This is probably because the British did not have halfback Adrian Peterson, undoubtedly the best rusher in football since Barry Sanders, or absurdly good offensive and defensive lines. The Vikings have looked vulnerable at times, and it will be interesting to see how they do in feature games against the Cardinals and Bengals. Also, Vikings fans should worry about the emergence of “playoff Favre” come January. Hyde to Brett’s Jekyll, playoff Favre has a tendency to make stupid mistakes that cost his team big games. Fans of loyalty, decency and the American way can only hope. Behind the Vikings, the Green Bay Packers (5-4) have an off-chance of getting into the playoffs. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers might be the best passer in the NFC not named Drew Brees. Pity he can’t get any protection from the Packers’ woeful offensive line. Green Bay’s upset win over the Cowboys this past week showcased the team’s defensive strength. Because their schedule gets easier from here on out, I think that a Packer win over the Ravens, Steelers or Cardinals should be enough to get them in if they take care of business elsewhere. I feel bad for the Chicago Bears (4-5). They brought in quarterback Jay Cutler during the offseason to break the chain of recent Bears quarterbacks that included such gridiron legends as Chris Chandler, Craig Krenzel and Rex Grossman. Instead, last week he joined the Jets’ Mark Sanchez and the Panthers’ Jake Delhomme in the five-pick day club. Also, the Bears lost MLB Brian Urlacher — the heart and soul of their defense — for the year in Week 1. All said and done, the Bears should be bearing down on excellent tee times this January at golf clubs across the nation. The Detroit Lions (1-8) are having an infinitely better season than the last one. I bet they win a couple more (they play the Browns this week!) and finish at a solid 3-13.

NFC South: How can you not root for the New Orleans Saints (9-0)? That team has done amazing things for New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2006. Quarterback Drew Brees may be the best player in football this year, and now that coach Sean Payton has a legitimate defense, New Orleans is scary. People are pointing to their upcoming Superdome matchup with the Patriots as their big test (and it is), look for them to win that one — then drop one of their remaining divisional road games to the Falcons or Panthers. The Atlanta Falcons (5-4) started 4-1. Since then, quarterback Matt Ryan seems to have come down to earth, and halfback Michael Turner’s injury last week could cripple the team’s fortunes. If he isn’t there to carry the load, there’s no way the Falcons can beat the tough defenses of the Giants, Eagles, Saints and Jets. The Carolina Panthers (4-5), by contrast, have been on the upswing since a disastrous start to the season. The defense has been stout — as coach John Fox’s defenses tend to be — and the running back tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are racking up touchdowns. It also helps that quarterback Jake Delhomme has stopped throwing the ball to the other team at every possible opportunity. Their remaining schedule is brutal, however, as they finish the season against the Patriots, Vikings, Giants and Saints. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8) see Browns, Cleveland, and Rams, St. Louis.

Playoff Picks: East: Cowboys (11-5) West: Cardinals (11-5) North: Vikings (13-3) South: Saints (15-1) Wild Card: Eagles (10-6) and Packers (9-7)

Wild Card Playoffs: Cardinals over Packers; Eagles over Cowboys

Divisional Playoffs: Saints over Eagles; Cardinals over Vikings

NFC Championship: Saints over Cardinals

Super Bowl XLIV: Saints over Steelers