While the Green Bay Packers never want to take a loss to the Chicago Bears, their Week 18 defeat to their longtime rivals proved inconsequential in regard to playoff seeding.
A victory to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs would've been nice, of course, but with the Washington Commanders getting a come-from-behind win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers would still be the No. 7 seed in the NFC heading into Super Wild Card Weekend.
With this loss, they're now a historic No. 7 seed.
Allow us to explain.
The Packers are tied for the worst division record for any NFL playoff team in history
With their 24-22 loss to the Bears this past Sunday, the Packers finished the season with a 1-5 record in games contested within the NFC North.
As such, Green Bay is tied for the worst record in division games of any postseason team in NFL history and is just the third team ever to have only one division win and still make the playoffs.
The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers were the first to achieve this rare feat, going 1-5 in the old AFC Central en route to a 9-7 finish, which earned them the fifth and final spot on the AFC side of the playoff bracket.
The 2022 New York Giants were the next to do so, going 1-4-1 in the NFC East en route to a 9-7-1 finish, earning them the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
From a technical standpoint, the 1982 Packers could be included on this list, as they had just one victory against an NFC Central opponent and made the postseason. However, as that season was shortened to nine games due to a 57-day players' strike, divisions were temporarily suspended, and standings were based on conference alone.
Green Bay played only three games against Central opponents that season, going 1-2 en route to a 5-3-1 finish. That '82 campaign also featured a special 16-team postseason bracket with eight teams from each conference being seeded 1-8 based on overall regular-season records. The Packers were the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
So, again, from a technical standpoint, that Green Bay team could be included here, but it's tough to truly consider that unit as it pertains to this interesting accomplishment.
Getting back to this 2024 team, this club also now owns the record for the fewest division wins for any team ever to reach 11 or more victories.
None of this, of course, means a thing for the Packers as they prepare for their matchup in the Wild Card Round with the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, but a little history never hurt anybody.