Despite losing Jordan Love to a concussion midway through the second quarter of their first-place battle with the Chicago Bears this past Saturday, the Green Bay Packers still put themselves in a great position to retake control of the NFC North, as they led their longtime rivals 16-6 with just over five minutes to play.
Unfortunately for Matt LaFleur & Co., they failed to close the deal, as Chicago got within seven on a Cairo Santos field goal with 1:59 to play, successfully converted an onside kick that Romeo Doubs couldn't control, tied the score at 16-16 after Caleb Williams hit Jahdae Walker with a 6-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining in regulation, and then took a 22-16 victory in overtime when Williams connected with D.J. Moore with a 46-yard TD pass.
With the loss, Green Bay dropped to 9-5-1 for the season, while Chicago improved to 11-4 with the victory. The Packers can still win the division, however, if they win their final two games over the Ravens and Vikings and the Bears drop their final two to the 49ers and Lions.
The division crown would be nice, of course, but the Packers first simply need to worry about clinching their spot in the playoffs. And they got some help in that regard on Sunday when Detroit lost its Week 16 matchup to none other than Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, thus dropping the Lions to 8-7.
As such, if the Packers win one of their final two games or the Lions lose one of their final two, Green Bay is guaranteed a postseason berth for the third consecutive season. And the way things stand now, it looks as if the Packers' best bet this week is to take care of their own business.
The Packers aren't likely to get the help they need from the Vikings on Christmas Day
The Lions, of course, will take on the Vikings on Christmas Day. However, they won't be playing against J.J. McCarthy, who had two very strong performances in leading Minnesota to a pair of victories after returning from the concussion he suffered against the Packers back in Week 12.
This past Sunday, however, McCarthy suffered a hairline fracture on his throwing hand and has been officially ruled out of Thursday's matchup, thus leaving the Lions to face undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who started in place of McCarthy in Week 13 against the Seahawks and threw for just 132 yards with zero touchdowns and four interceptions in a 26-0 loss.
Anything can happen in the NFL, but the Packers aren't likely to get the Christmas gift they're hoping for from Minnesota.
But even if they don't, they can just take care of things themselves with a win over the Ravens on Saturday night. Of course, they may have to do so without Love, who will need to clear concussion protocol over the next few days. And with Malik Willis still battling a bum shoulder, that's not great news either. Both were limited participants in Tuesday's walkthrough.
But Baltimore will likely be without Lamar Jackson, who suffered a significant back contusion this past Sunday night in a loss to the New England Patriots. The two-time NFL MVP is listed as day-to-day, but the feeling seems to be that he'll be unable to go, thus giving Tyler Huntley his second start of the season.
Buckle up, Cheeseheads. It's going to be an interesting week, one that could see the Packers finally punch that postseason ticket.