The Green Bay Packers officially punched their ticket to the NFL Playoffs on Monday night with an impressive 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints, which marked the first shutout the league has seen all season.
With the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings having already clinched their respective berths in recent weeks, this is the first time since the NFL realigned to its current format of eight four-team divisions in 2002 that the NFC North will send three teams to the postseason.
What's wild about this division, of course, is that while the Packers improved to 11-4 with their win over the Saints, which gives them the fourth-best record in the NFC, they're still only in third place in the North, as the Lions and Vikings each improved to 13-2 on Sunday.
While Green Bay has a tough matchup in Week 17 with Minnesota (more on that in a moment), they've got the Chicago Bears, who've lost nine straight, in Week 18.
So, one would think that the Packers would at least finish the year at 12-5. And if that does indeed end up being the case, Green Bay would go down as the greatest third-place team in NFL history. But that's some history Matt LaFleur & Co. are hoping to avoid. Because while they're officially out of the running to win the NFC North, they can still catch the Vikings for second place.
The Packers could become the best third-place team and No. 6 seed in NFL history, but they're hoping for more
If the Packers get to at least 12 wins and end the year in third place in the NFC North, they would be the first third-place team in NFL history with a dozen victories.
If they lose out to finish 11-6, they'd still be just the fourth third-place team with 11 victories, as only three others have done so over the last 100-plus years, the most recent being the 2020 Cleveland Browns.
Heading into their Week 17 matchup with Minnesota, Green Bay holds the No. 6 seed in the NFC, a slot they've held for more than a month now. And if they get to 12 wins and maintain that same spot, they'd also become the first No. 6 seed with a dozen victories.
On nine previous occasions, a sixth-seeded team has notched 11 wins, the Miami Dolphins being the most recent to do so just last year.
But again, this is history Green Bay is hoping to avoid.
The Packers can't win a tiebreaker with the Lions due to getting swept in the season series, so finishing with the same 13-4 record as Detroit would do nothing.
However, Green Bay can overtake Minnesota for second place in the division, which would also give them the No. 5 seed.
If the Packers beat the Vikings and Bears and Minnesota also loses its Week 18 matchup with the Lions, Green Bay and Minnesota would end the season with identical 13-4 records.
With the season series tied at 1-1, the head-to-head tiebreaker is out. The second tiebreaker would be record within the division, but that goes out the window as well, as both would be 3-3.
The third tiebreaker is winning percentage against common opponents, which would give the Packers the edge, as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, while the Vikings lost to the Rams in Week 8.
If this scenario plays out, Minnesota, not Green Bay, would then become the best third-place team and No. 6 seed in NFL history. And the Packers would undoubtedly be just fine with that.