After beating the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, the Green Bay Packers largely control their own playoff fate. With two games against the current NFC North-leading Chicago Bears still to come, Green Bay is in a good position to take over the top spot in the division, as well as potentially go into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
The result that sticks out is the 40-40 tie against the Dallas Cowboys. A win in that game would have put the Packers at 9-3, while a loss would've had them at 8-4. The obvious impact is that this influences playoff seeding, as division and conference positioning is based first on record, specifically win percentage, and then by head-to-head results among other tiebreakers.
Barring another tie, Green Bay will likely hold an advantage, having fewer losses than other teams in the playoff field. However, one other result of the tie has recently come to light, and it is not a positive for the Packers.
How the Packers' Week 4 tie is hurting them in ways nobody thought about
The Packers are one of the youngest teams in the NFL. Having younger, likely healthier players goes a long way this time of year. However, with the trade deadline in the past, the only way to bolster the roster will come through free-agent signings and waiver claims.
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Most football fans have some familiarity with the waiver process, thanks in part to the impact of fantasy football. In case you aren't, though, the process is simple. When a team cuts a player, they go through waivers. Every team can place a claim on the player, and the team with the worst record gets the highest waiver priority and is awarded the player.
This has come to light after two rather notable names were made available on waivers this week: former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen and former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay. While Thielen wouldn't have made a lot of sense in Green Bay, some Packers fans were calling for the team to put a claim in on the former Super Bowl champion defensive back.
Ultimately, the Buffalo Bills landed Slay. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Philadelphia Eagles were also interested in Slay and put a claim in on him, but Buffalo had the priority.
While we may not know whether the Packers had put a claim in on Slay (or considered it), it is notable that at 8-3-1, both Buffalo and Philadelphia would have priority over Green Bay, as both are 8-4. The Bills had the advantage over the Eagles due to Philadelphia leading the NFC East, whereas Buffalo is second in the AFC East.
The Packers have benefited from the waiver process, landing defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna to help replace Devonte Wyatt, but the tie on their record makes it more challenging.
Green Bay may hold an advantage when it comes to having fewer losses than other teams when it comes to playoff seeding, but it will also be at a disadvantage for waiver claims.