Indirect Effects: Green Bay Packers Playoff Positioning

Dec 21, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) waves to the fans after they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Green Bay Packers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Good news everyone – your Green Bay Packers are in the playoffs once again.

Actually besides the NFC South winner (Carolina or Atlanta), all of the other playoff participants have locked up a spot. There is still something to be decided however: seeding.

All we know at this moment is that either Atlanta or Carolina will end up with the fourth seed; every other spot is up for grabs going into the final week of games.

So where could Green Bay end up?

And who will they face?

We’ll know for sure by Sunday night, but until then this is a great time to look one last time at the playoff picture.

Since every game that will have an effect on the playoff picture has a team Green Bay obviously wants/needs to win/lose,  I’m going to go about this differently than most weeks. Instead of focusing on one matchup in particular, I’ll take a quick look at each matchup affecting the playoff picture and illustrate what a win or a loss by the future playoff team involved will potentially cause.

Next: We'll start with the smallest effect on the Packers and move up from there.