Packers rooting for multiple upsets to avoid disastrous bye week

The Green Bay Packers' bye week couldn't have come at a better time.

Not only are they coming off an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions — it was never as close as the 24-14 final score might indicate — but Jordan Love can use the time to rest up his injured groin, which clearly hindered him last Sunday.

Despite the loss, however, the Packers are still in a good spot as it pertains to the overall NFL playoff picture. At 6-3, they're only in third place in the NFC North. The Detroit Lions, of course, lead the way at 7-1, and with a Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Minnesota Vikings jumped back into second at 6-2.

Green Bay currently holds the No. 7 slot in the NFC, which is always a tricky position. The Philadelphia Eagles also own the same 6-2 record as Green Bay. But with that Week 1 over the Packers in Brazil, Philly owns the tiebreaker, which is why they hold the No. 6 position.

The good news for Green Bay is that the five teams chasing them for that final wild-card spot at the moment all only have four wins, those being the Chicago Bears (No. 8, 4-4), San Francisco 49ers (No. 9, 4-4), Los Angeles Rams (No. 10, 4-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 11, 4-5), and Seattle Seahawks (No. 12, 4-5).

The bad news is that many of the teams we've mentioned thus far have very winnable games this week. And that includes those the Packers are chasing and those who are chasing them.

The Seahawks can be taken out of this, as they're on a bye as well. As for the rest, let's take a look at who Green Bay will be rooting for in Week 10.

The Packers will be rooting for several AFC teams in Week 10

Let's kick things off with what the Packers' two division rivals are dealing with in Week 10, and then we'll jump to the others.

You'll notice that Green Bay will be rooting for a lot of AFC teams.

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans

The Lions actually have the toughest opponent of any of these teams in Week 10, as they travel to the Lone Star State to take on the Houston Texans.

The good news for Dan Campbell's crew is that the Texans were exposed in an ugly Week 9 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. The bad news is that since that game was played on Thursday night, Houston got a bit of a mini-bye and should be well-rested.

If the Jets can beat up on the Texans, so can the Lions. Chalk up another win for Detroit here.

Minnesota Vikings at Jacksonville Jaguars

On the flip side, the Vikings get one of the easiest opponents of the week, as they'll face the two-win Jacksonville Jaguars.

But this isn't the same Jags team that gave Green Bay a scare back in Week 8. No, this is Jacksonville with no Trevor Lawrence. You think Mac Jones is doing anything against that Minnesota defense? Not a chance. And is that weak Jaguars pass defense doing anything against Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson? Again, not a chance.

The Vikings are moving to 7-2 here to take a full one-game lead on the Packers.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

The Eagles losing to a Dallas Cowboys team that doesn't have Dak Prescott? Yeah, that's not happening. Philly gets win No. 7 here as well.

New England Patriots at Chicago Bears

After that heartbreaking albeit hilarious loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8 on Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary, the Bears got thumped by the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals in Week 9.

But they get a bit of a break in Week 10, as they'll take on the two-win New England Patriots, who just lost the "who's the worst team in the AFC" battle to the Tennessee Titans last week in overtime. While Chicago is playing just bad enough to lose this game, it doesn't seem likely.

San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As both of these teams are chasing the Packers, the best-case scenario here is a tie.

But since that's not happening, it's probably best for Green Bay if the Buccaneers get the victory here. No NFC team wants to see San Francisco in the playoffs, especially the Packers, who've lost to the Niners in the Divisional Round twice in the last three years.

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With Christian McCaffrey coming back and other key contributors on both sides of the ball starting to get healthier, the sentence above bears repeating: No NFC team wants to see San Francisco in the playoffs. The Packers, of course, will see them in Week 12.

Since you can't cheer Jordan Love this weekend, Packers fans, throw your support to Baker Mayfield.

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams

This Monday Night Football matchup is actually one of the most intriguing of the week.

Both teams dealt with significant injuries in the early weeks of the season, with the Rams losing both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp and the Dolphins losing Tua Tagovailoa. All of those players have since returned.

But while Los Angeles has won three straight with its star wideouts back in the mix, including a victory over the Vikings, Miami has lost both games with Tua back under center, although those pair of defeats were by a combined four points. And both were against good teams in the Cardinals and Bills.

The Packers will naturally be rooting for the Dolphins, who they'll see in a few weeks on Thanksgiving night.

Green Bay will return to action in Week 11 at Soldier Field for the first of its two games with the rival Bears. What the NFC playoff picture will look like then is anybody's guess. On paper, though, things don't look great for the Packers this weekend.

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