The Green Bay Packers didn’t play last week, but they must now prepare for an important four-game stretch with a playoff berth still on the line.
Matt LaFleur’s team still has a lot of work to do, needing four wins from four to give themselves a chance.
Even though they didn’t play, Week 14 was a good one for the Packers, with the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks losing. More help is needed in the coming four weeks.
Following their bye, the Packers remain in 20th position in the latest NFL Spin Zone power rankings for Week 15. That’s understandable as Green Bay didn’t play.
It’s now or never for the Packers.
A loss against the Los Angeles Rams would effectively end Green Bay’s playoff hopes.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s playoff projections, the Packers currently have a 6% chance of making the postseason.
A loss to the Rams would drop that number to 0.3%. If the Seahawks and Detroit Lions also win, FiveThirtyEight would give Green Bay a lower than 0.1% chance of making the playoffs.
However, if the Packers win their game and some of the teams above them lose, their playoff chances could improve to as high as 12%.
So, this week is a crucial one.
All Green Bay can do is focus on its own performances. It’s nice and simple for Matt LaFleur’s team: win, or it’s almost certainly over. Four victories are needed.
The Packers have run the table before. Aaron Rodgers hit his MVP best during that run in 2016, leading his team to six straight wins in the regular season when nobody expected it. Green Bay then won back-to-back playoff games, taking its win streak to eight.
If LaFleur’s team can pull off something similar over the next four weeks, they will quickly rise back up the power rankings. Until then, they have a mountain to climb.