The Green Bay Packers obviously didn't get the win they wanted in Week 16 against the rival Chicago Bears last Saturday night, blowing a 10-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation before losing 22-16 in overtime. To make matters worse, they also lost quarterback Jordan Love to a concussion midway through the second quarter.
Despite falling two back of the 11-4 Bears in the win column at 9-5-1 with just two weeks to play, the Packers do still have a path to win the NFC North, but only if they win their final two games against the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings and Chicago loses its final two to the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
Speaking of Detroit, last weekend would've been a lot worse had the Lions won their Week 16 matchup. Thankfully for Green Bay, however, none other than Aaron Rodgers gave his old team some help by leading his Pittsburgh Steelers to a 29-24 victory over Dan Campbell's crew, thus dropping Detroit to 8-7.
With that Lions loss, both the Bears and 49ers officially clinched their spots in the NFC playoff picture, which looks like this heading into Week 17.
- Seattle Seahawks (12-3*, 1st NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (11-4*, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (10-5**, 1st NFC East)
- Carolina Panthers (8-7, 1st NFC South)
- San Francisco 49ers (11-4*, 2nd NFC West)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4*, 3rd NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-5-1, 2nd NFC North)
- Detroit Lions (8-7, 3rd NFC North)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8, 2nd NFC South)
As you can see, while two spots are still up for grabs, only one is available to Green Bay, as the other is reserved for the winner of the NFC South, which will be either the Carolina Panthers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With the breathing room the Packers now have, just one win of their own or one Lions loss over the next two weeks gets Green Bay in. So, naturally, Matt LaFleur & Co. will closely be watching Detroit's Christmas Day matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
But that's the only game on the Week 17 slate the Packers will be keeping an eye on. Of course, they have their own business to take care of on Saturday against the Ravens. But they'll be watching games on Sunday and Monday as well that could affect their playoff position.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Yes, we just covered this, but the Packers will obviously be rooting for the Vikings to upset the Lions, which is a tall order, as the Vikes will be without J.J. McCarthy, who suffered a small fracture in his throwing hand last Sunday against the New York Giants.
As such, Minnesota will hand the reins to undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who threw four interceptions in his lone start this season against the Seattle Seahawks. The Vikes can still win, of course, but it's not likely.
Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills
As mentioned, the Packers can still win the NFC North. And if they do, they could be battling the Philadelphia Eagles for seeding. So, seeing the reigning Super Bowl champs lose here to the Bills wouldn't hurt.
Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers
This one is a little trickier than you might think. If the Packers beat the Ravens on Saturday, the obvious call here is for the Bears to lose on Sunday night, as that keeps Green Bay alive in the NFC North.
But if both Green Bay and Chicago win, which obviously gives the Bears the division, a 49ers loss would still benefit the Packers. Because if Green Bay wins out to finish 11-5-1 and the Niners lose to the Bears and then to the Seahawks in Week 18 to finish 11-6, the edge obviously goes to the Packers in the wild-card race.
Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons
That same logic we just used for the Niners also applies to the Los Angeles Rams, who are also 11-4 heading into their Week 17 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Again, if the Packers win out to finish 11-5-1 and the Rams lose to the Falcons on Monday night and then to the Cardinals in Week 18 to finish 11-6, Green Bay moves ahead of Los Angeles in the wild-card race.
When you look at things as a whole, the only seeds in the NFC that the Packers can't get right now are No. 1 and No. 4. Everything else is legitimately in play at this point. So, buckle up, Cheeseheads. It's going to be a wild ride for the next week and a half.