The Green Bay Packers entered Week 18 knowing they would play one of three teams in the first round of the playoffs. They finally have their answer.
Next weekend, Green Bay will hit the road for a huge matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Packers had their chance to win in Week 18, but a bizarre final drive led to a Chicago Bears game-winning field goal, their first victory over Green Bay in the entire Matt LaFleur era. The loss means the Packers will finish with the No. 7 seed, sending them to Philadelphia next week. Ultimately, the result made no difference, as the Washington Commanders defeated the Dallas Cowboys.
It couldn't have gone much worse for the Packers on Sunday. Not only did they fail to take care of business, which ended an 11-game winning run over the Chicago Bears, but they also suffered two potentially significant injuries. Christian Watson was carted off with a knee injury, and just moments later, Jordan Love's day ended due to an elbow issue.
It felt like a preseason game at times. The Packers lacked energy early on and fell behind after a punt-return touchdown. From there, they had to play from behind, which became more challenging with Love out of the game. It took a miracle forced fumble and a Brandon McManus field goal to give the Packers hope, but the Bears did just enough to get into field-goal range and avenge the loss at Soldier Field.
The Packers' path is now clear.
Packers will face Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round
So, there it is. The seventh-seeded Packers will take on the second-seed Eagles in a rematch from Week 1.
The Packers needed a win and a Commanders loss to improve their seeding. Neither happened. Green Bay takes the No. 7 seed for the second season in a row despite adding two wins to last year's tally.
Philadelphia presents a daunting challenge.
It has the No. 1 ranked defense and an offense featuring Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season.
Green Bay faces a brutal path to the Super Bowl. If it overcomes Philadelphia, it will face the winner of the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game. The Packers are 0-5 against the Eagles, Lions, and Vikings this season.
It will take a significant effort to make a deep playoff run. The Packers finished with a solid 11-6 record, but they were an awful 1-5 in the NFC North and will enter the postseason on the back of two defeats. They have work to do.