Green Bay Packers: Which teams to root for in Week 14

Which teams should Green Bay Packers fans root for in Week 14?

Green Bay’s route to the playoffs isn’t straightforward. It must first take care of itself, winning all four games left on the calendar. The Packers will then need some help around the league.

They exactly what happened in Week 13. The Packers got their season-saving win over the Buccaneers, but it got even better with Atlanta, Carolina and Detroit all losing. Of the four teams I listed in this column last week, three got the win.

Green Bay must defeat Cleveland to keeps its playoff chase alive. On top of that, victories for these five teams in Week 14 would also be celebrated by those in green and gold.

New Orleans Saints (at Falcons)

New Orleans is on a roll. Since starting the season 0-2, it has since gone 9-1. What’s important to note is that one of those victories came against the Packers, meaning the Saints hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. It’s in Green Bay’s best interest for New Orleans to win the NFC South and beat some of the wild-card contenders in the process.

Up next for the Saints are the rival Falcons on Thursday night. Atlanta, too, has the tiebreaker over Green Bay, but it has two fewer victories than New Orleans. A loss here would put it 7-6. If the Packers win on Sunday, they too will be 7-6.

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The Saints play the Falcons again two weeks from now in the Superdome.

Minnesota Vikings (at Panthers)

The NFC South could send three teams to the playoffs. Minnesota can help prevent that from happening by beating the 8-4 Panthers. Green Bay needs Carolina to lose two of its final four. If the Vikings win this week, the Packers could finish the job by beating the Panthers in Week 15.

Carolina meets Atlanta in Week 17, which is potentially good news for the Pack. With the NFC North title almost wrapped up, it’s fine to cheer on the Vikings this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Seahawks)

The Packers also need the Seahawks to lose two games in the final four weeks. After beating them in Week 1, Mike McCarthy’s team does hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Seattle has a brutal schedule (at Jacksonville, LA Rams, at Dallas, Arizona). It could go 1-3 in that span.

It’s a near-perfect scenario. The Seahawks must travel across the country to take on a playoff-bound AFC team. Let’s go Jags.

New York Giants (vs. Cowboys)

The Eli Manning era is back on in The Big Apple. The Cowboys sit below the Packers in the wild-card race entering Week 14, but they are far from done. New York is well out of contention, which is exactly why we should hope for a win over Dallas.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Lions)

Of all the wild-card contenders, Detroit arguably has the easiest schedule (at Tampa Bay, Chicago, at Cincinnati, Green Bay). The Packers will finish above the Lions if they win out, as the two teams meet at Ford Field on New Year’s Eve. But it still makes sense to root for the Bucs.

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A loss would drop the Lions’ record to 6-7, effectively eliminating them from contention.