Packers: 3 reasons why Green Bay will make the playoffs

It’s no secret that up to this point it has been a disappointing season for the Green Bay Packers. Yet they still find themselves in the mix for a playoff spot and I believe that there are three good reasons as to why they can make it.

In an unfamiliar spot for the Green Bay Packers and their fans, they will be entering Week 12 with a record of 4-5-1, currently looking up at the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears in the divisional race and out of a wild-card spot.

Even though the Packers have had some tough losses to swallow, they haven’t been far off from some fantastic wins, and as each agonizing week passes they appear closer to putting it together and figuring it all out.

Although hope for some fans may be all but lost, I believe there are three key reasons that the Green Bay Packers will make the playoffs this year.

Packers remaining schedule

With six games left in the regular season, the Packers find themselves with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL. After going through a gauntlet following the bye week, they will now reap the rewards with an easier schedule down the final stretch.

The two most difficult games are going to be their divisional matchups against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. The Packers know both of these teams quite well and currently hold a 1-0-1 record (which should be 2-0) against them. Neither of these teams are overly impressive and these are games that Green Bay should be able to win.

Green Bay’s easiest remaining games will be hosting the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field and facing the New York Jets on the road. There isn’t much else to say other than the Packers’ talent alone should carry them to victory as it has against similar opponents such as Buffalo, San Francisco and Miami.

Another opponent will be the Atlanta Falcons, who in recent years have had success against Green Bay. However they are playing with a banged up defense and will be leaving the comforts of their dome for the frigid December weather in Lambeau Field.

The Seattle Seahawks have had success at home against Green Bay but have failed to win at Lambeau in recent years. I believe the Falcons game will be the same way.

In Week 17 the Packers will conclude the season at home against the Detroit Lions. The Lions were able to pull off a victory early in the season but since the year 2000, Lambeau has been a house of horrors for Detroit. Over that time, the Lions are 2-16 in Green Bay and one of those wins came last season against Brett Hundley.

There is no one left on the schedule that even this struggling Packers team shouldn’t be able to beat.

NFC is wide open

As we approach Week 12 there isn’t much clarity in the NFC playoff picture, there are still quite a few teams that have a chance and Green Bay is one of them.

At this point most people are assuming that if the Packers do make the playoffs it will be via a wild-card birth, but the NFC North is still up for the taking as well.

If the Packers can defeat Minnesota it will all but eliminate them from playoff contention. The Bears will be facing the Lions without quarterback Mitch Trubisky. A loss from Chicago and Green Bay will be behind the Bears by just one game in the loss column and hold the tiebreaker. A division title is not out of the question.

The rest of the NFC is a mess as well. The Falcons and Eagles are 4-6, the Panthers sit at four losses and it remains to be seen how the Redskins without Alex Smith are going to string together any wins.

Lastly we have the Seattle Seahawks, who sit at 5-5 and are tied with the Packers in the loss column and hold the tiebreaker. But Seattle still has to play the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs along with a few divisional matchups that are always hard-fought.

Green Bay is a good team

The final reason that the Packers can make the playoffs is the one that perhaps is the most overlooked, and that is that this is a very talented football team!

The statistical evidence does not suggest that the Packers should be 4-5-1. In fact, in many offensive and defensive categories they are some of the best in the NFL.

As a team, the offense ranks eighth in yards per game and second in rushing yards per attempt as a unit at 5.1 per attempt. And yes, I agree they need to run the ball more.

Defensively under new coordinator Mike Pettine, the Packers have accumulated 34 sacks, good for third most in the league. Additionally, the revamped secondary is giving up the fifth fewest receiving yards per game this year.

Individually, running back Aaron Jones leads the league in rushing yards per attempt, Davante Adams is having a phenomenal year averaging 95.3 yards per game with nine touchdowns. Both of which are top six in the NFL.

Finally, let us not forget about Aaron Rodgers, who has not looked like himself this season but is continuing to put up great numbers each week and has carried the Packers to two victories.

The way that the Green Bay Packers have been playing thus far is not going to cut it, they must stop beating themselves. However they are not too far off from their record looking completely different and being able to redirect the course of this entire season.

In this final stretch the Packers have a few factors in their favor, and there is no reason why they can’t make the playoffs.