Packers’ Playoff Fate Coming Into Focus
The Green Bay Packers haven’t officially secured a playoff spot yet, but they currently have a 99 percent chance to make it. So there’s really no reason we shouldn’t start talking about the playoffs.
Two things are readily apparent.
- The Packers are going to have to majorly screw up to NOT win the NFC North
- Regardless of who they face at what point in the NFC bracket, the chances are very high that they will have already faced that team in the regular season.
NFC North
All the Packers have to do to win the NFC North is beat the Minnesota Vikings in week 17. They could lose their next two games, beat the Vikings and still be division champs by way of head-to-head wins. They could wrap the division up in week 16 if they win their next two and the Vikings lose one. The Packers are at Oakland and at Arizona. The Vikings get Chicago and the Giants, both at home.
Rematches
We’re not going to get into every possible playoff game the Packers could play, but here is the current seeding.
- Carolina
- Arizona
- Green Bay
- Washington
- Seattle
- Minnesota
The Packers have already played or will play every team on that list except for Washington.
The wild card here is really the NFC East, which a tire fire. Washington currently leads it at 6-7, but the Eagles and Giants are also 6-7. The 4-9 Cowboys haven’t even been eliminated yet. At any rate, the Packers aren’t likely to see that team in the playoff at all.
If they end up in the third seed, they’ll get another game with Minnesota or Seattle. Most likely the former, since Seattle holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Vikings.
Let’s say they win that Wild Card game. Then they’re heading to Arizona again, if the Cardinals maintain the No. 2 seed. Assuming Seattle beats the NFC East winner, they go to Carolina. And in that scenario, if the Packers were to beat Arizona, they would face either Carolina (in Carolina again) or Seattle (at Lambeau again).
There’s still some things to play out here, of course.
The Packers still have a shot at the No. 2 seed.
They would have to win out and the Cardinals would have to lose another game in addition to next week’s tilt with the Pack. That’s certainly plausible. They are at Philadelphia this week and finish at home against red-hot Seattle.
If the Packers back into the No. 2 seed, they’ll get a much-needed bye before getting a divisional home game. That game is probably a rematch with Arizona.
Dream scenario?
We mentioned it earlier.
Seattle and Green Bay are the last two teams standing in the NFC and the Packers get the Seahawks in Lambeau for the NFC Championship.
We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves, though.
Good research (as always) Monty – I always enjoy reading your more factual commentaries ….
I’d like to see a scenario with the Packers having a realistic shot at revenge for past January’s meltdown with Pete Carroll’s misfits …
…. friggin’ tired of takin’ shit at work from all the Cheathawks fans for that screwup…..
If we can beat Cardinals 2 weeks from now, then we have a good chance to take it all the way. They are the most talented team in the NFL. Seattle is hot but they have no running back. Carolina relies on running game and Seattle can shut that down. Ideal is us hosting Seattle at Lambeau for NFC. I want to see Packers play in my hometown on Feb for another Lombardi.
Not sure which I’d like better: Getting revenge against Seattle or beating the Vikings in successive weeks a Lambeau.
Sooooooooooooooooooo
Seattle
Arizona
Carolina
Patriots
…arguably the 4 best teams in the league…
That could possibly be the hardest road in the history of football
Thanks for writing something palatable for once.
It’s anybody’s guess at this point. We’ll see which team shows up the rest of this season.
Send in the reinforcements!
I’m just not ready to get excited about the playoffs yet. That 4-game slump is too fresh. But if we beat Arizona at their house, it’s Super Bowl or bust all over again for me!