The Green Bay Packers currently sit at 5-3 after a 27-19 win against the Carolina Panthers last week. It was the Packers' fourth win in five games and boosts their playoff odds in what is turning into an extremely competitive NFC field.
As Green Bay prepares to travel to New England to play the reigning AFC champion Patriots, the playoff odds are coming more into focus. While past years have seen the early part of the season allow for some mistakes, the parity across the NFL doesn't allow that this year.
Let's look at the Packers' playoff picture, as well as what teams you might want to root for this week to give them the best odds moving forward.
Packers' playoff odds heading into Week 9
The Packers sit squarely in a place all too familiar for the team over the years: the NFC's seventh seed. If the season ended today, they would travel to Minnesota to face the second-seeded Vikings. However, there's still a lot of football to be played, and the team's odds reflect that.
Currently, the Packers have a perfectly balanced 50 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to The Athletic's playoff projections. Breaking those odds down further, 43 percent of the projections have Green Bay securing a wild-card spot (currently the seventh seed in the NFC), five percent have them hosting a wild-card game, and just two percent have them earning the NFC's No. 1 seed.
While not great odds, they're up from last week, which saw the team sitting at 40 percent before their win against the Panthers. Obviously, the Packers' 1-2 record against the NFC North is a huge disadvantage and puts them behind the eight ball in the division race. Still, a win this week would go a long way to helping those odds.
According to The Athletic's projections, a win over the Patriots would boost the Packers' playoff odds to 63 percent and increase their odds of hosting a wild-card game to seven percent. A loss, however, would drop the Packers back down to just a 43 percent chance of making the playoffs, slightly above where they were at last week.
On the AFC side, the Patriots are in a slightly better position, thanks to the AFC being more of a top-heavy conference. They already boast an 82 percent chance of making the playoffs.
Who the Packers should root for around the league in Week 9
Obviously, Packers fans will want to root for a win over the Patriots this week, but besides that, there are actually a couple of games that could have big consequences for Green Bay moving forward.
First up, the Washington Commanders will host the Los Angeles Rams in a battle between two teams currently out of the playoff picture. A Commanders win would not only drop the Rams down to 4-5, but also boost the Packers' playoff odds to 53 percent.
Elsewhere in the NFC, the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks will face off. Packers fans should hope for a Cardinals upset, as it would push the Packers' odds to 53 percent.
As for the rest of the NFC North, Packers fans will obviously be rooting against their division rivals here. The Miami Dolphins take on the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Minnesota Vikings play the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
While all three NFC North teams losing wouldn't impact the Packers' playoff odds too much yet, they would certainly improve their odds of contending in the North, which has so far been the best division in football.
Packers' playoff push cannot afford many mistakes
Although we're only eight games into the season, the Packers, along with the rest of the NFC, are looking ahead to the playoffs. The conference as a whole is currently more competitive than it's ever been, and at least two very good teams will eventually be left out of the playoffs by the time the season ends.
While the Packers are a good team, they have been prone to making mental mistakes and "giving away" games that they otherwise should not.
With the NFC already as close as it is, the previous three losses the Packers suffered, all of which featured the team being a victim of its own mistakes at times, will only be looked upon more sharply.
Thankfully for the Packers, they still have time to correct those mistakes. With nine games remaining, they can't take any game for granted, and that begins on Sunday against a very good Patriots team.
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