While nobody likes a moral victory, the Green Bay Packers proved they belong in the conversation among the elite teams in the NFC by giving the Detroit Lions all they could handle last Thursday night, albeit in a 34-31 defeat.
With the loss, the Packers dropped to 9-4 on the year and are now three games back of the Lions in the NFC North with just four weeks remaining in the regular season. And with Detroit now having swept the season series, Green Bay essentially has no chance to win the division.
It's still technically possible, of course, but Matt LaFleur & Co. would have to win out, and Dan Campbell's crew would have to lose every game the rest of the way, which simply isn't happening.
Nevertheless, the Packers, who have only lost twice since September, by the way, both coming at the hands of the Lions, are still in great shape to make the NFL Playoffs for the second straight season.
While they trail the red-hot Minnesota Vikings (11-2) by two games in the race for the top wild-card slot in the NFC, they've maintained the No. 6 position in the conference for several weeks now and head into Week 15 with a one-game lead on the Washington Commanders (8-5) and hold a two-game advantage on the Los Angeles Rams (7-6).
The Packers are also up three games on the Atlanta Falcons (6-7), Arizona Cardinals (6-7), and San Francisco 49ers (6-7).
So, again, Green Bay is in good shape heading into its Week 15 matchup with the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks and could actually punch their ticket to the postseason as early as this week. That said, however, it's going to take a minor miracle for that to happen.
The Packers need a tie to clinch a spot in the NFL Playoffs in Week 15
Given the current NFC standings, a Packers win over the Seahawks alone on Sunday Night Football won't get the job done, as they'll also need some help from the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, who would need to defeat or tie the Falcons.
But wait, there's more, and it's a doozy involving the Rams-49ers matchup that kicks off Week 15 on Thursday Night Football.
For Green Bay to clinch a playoff spot in Week 15, every single one of these things needs to happen:
- Packers win vs. Seahawks
- Falcons lose/tie vs. Raiders
- Rams-49ers tie
Yes, you're seeing that correctly. Even if Green Bay beats Seattle and Las Vegas upsets Atlanta, the Packers can only clinch if Los Angeles and San Francisco tie. There's no win option or no loss option for either team. It must be a tie.
And seeing as there hasn't been a tie in the NFL in over two years — the last being a 20-20 draw between the Washington Commanders and New York Giants on December 4, 2022 — the likelihood of one occurring on Thursday night seems pretty low.
If any division were to have a tie this year, though, it would be the NFC West, don't you think? And what a fun wrinkle that would be in such a closely contested division.
As it pertains to the Packers, they'll likely have to wait until at least Week 16 to wrap this thing up.