Four days after earning an easy and emphatic Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 23-6, the Green Bay Packers opened the Week 13 slate of games on Thanksgiving Day with their second win of the season over the Detroit Lions, taking a 31-24 victory to complete the season sweep of their longtime division rivals for the first time since 2020.
With the win, the Packers improved to 3-0 in games within the NFC North and could have taken possession of first place in the division had the Chicago Bears lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.
But the Bears didn't allow that to happen, earning an impressive 24-15 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champs, upping their winning streak to five, their longest in seven years, and improving to 9-3 overall. As such, Chicago switched spots with Philadelphia in the NFC playoff picture, with the Bears moving up to the No. 2 slot, and the Eagles falling to No. 3.
And now, with the Los Angeles Rams falling to 9-3 with a 31-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Cheeseheads everywhere are cringing, as the Bears not only lead the NFC North but also currently possess the top spot in the entire NFC due to the fact that they take a tiebreaker with the Rams due to having a better record in games within the conference.
The Packers, of course, host the Bears this Sunday at Lambeau Field and will then visit Chicago two weeks later. So, things are certainly getting interesting, as these two matchups could decide both the division and the No. 1 seed. And we haven't even gotten to the wild-card race yet.
Packers remain in the second NFC wild-card slot heading into Week 14
Here's a look at the updated NFC playoff picture following the Week 13 Sunday slate.
You'll notice that we've only included the top 10 teams, as the Atlanta Falcons (4-8), Minnesota Vikings (4-8), and Washington Commanders (3-9) have no genuine chance, while the Arizona Cardinals (3-9), New Orleans Saints (2-10), and New York Giants, who also sit at 2-10 heading into their Monday Night Football matchup with the New England Patriots, have all been officially eliminated.
Updated NFC playoff picture
- Chicago Bears (9-3, 1st NFC North)
- Los Angeles Rams (9-3, 1st NFC West)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-4, 1st NFC East)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (9-3, 2nd NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (8-3-1, 2nd NFC North)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Detroit Lions (7-5, 3rd NFC North)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6, 2nd NFC South)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-8, 3rd NFC South)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-8, 4th NFC North)
As you can see, Green Bay continues to hold the No. 6 slot, with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers maintaining their respective spots in fifth and seventh, as each earned victories on Sunday afternoon.
As you can also see, the Packers' win over the Lions was absolutely crucial, as a loss would have dropped them out of the top seven. But they've now got a small cushion heading into the final five weeks, which they'll certainly need, as they have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL.
In addition to their two matchups with the Bears, they've also got a Week 15 date with the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos, who improved to 10-2 on Sunday night with a wild overtime win over the Washington Commanders, and a Week 17 matchup with the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens before closing the season in Minnesota against the Vikings.