Packers must wait until Week 17 to clinch top seed after Seahawks win

The Packers can’t secure the top seed in Week 16 after the Seahawks’ win over the Rams.

The Green Bay Packers‘ wait to secure the number one seed will have to wait for another week.

It was possible a victory over the Tennessee Titans would’ve been enough to secure the top seed in the NFC, but only if the Los Angeles Rams also defeated the Seattle Seahawks.

Green Bay didn’t get the help it needed from Los Angeles on Sunday, with the Rams losing to the Seahawks this afternoon.

That makes tonight’s game a strange one when it comes to playoff seeding. When it comes to the race for the top seed, the result of the game between the Packers and Titans doesn’t make a huge difference.

Of course, getting the win will increase their top-seed chances, but only slightly.

The most important game comes next week against the Chicago Bears. If the Packers win that game next Sunday, the top seed will be theirs regardless of the other results in the league. But that’s not the same if they win tonight but lose next week.

Even if the Packers win this week, a loss to the Bears next week could mean they fall as far as the number three seed. If there is a three-way tie after Week 17 between Green Bay, New Orleans, and Seattle, the top seed would go to the Saints with the Packers being third.

Of course, tonight’s game is still important.

If Green Bay beats Tennessee, New Orleans wins in Week 17 but Seattle loses, the Packers would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Saints and take the top seed even with a defeat next week.

But it would then be out of their control and they’d need a Seahawks loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

To put it simply, with the Seahawks winning today, the Packers can’t clinch the number one seed with a victory tonight. However, win or lose against the Titans, they will clinch the top seed if they defeat the Bears in Week 17.