All the way back in Week 4, the Green Bay Packers fell behind 28-0 to the Minnesota Vikings midway through the second quarter but scratched and clawed their way back to make things competitive before ultimately taking a 31-29 defeat.
In their Week 17 rematch with the Vikes on Sunday, the Packers didn't dig themselves quite as big of a hole but still trailed 27-10 heading into the fourth quarter, only to once again scratch and claw their way back to make things competitive before ultimately taking a 27-25 defeat.
Kinda weird, right?
A season ago, Green Bay entered its Week 18 matchup with the Chicago Bears needing a win to reach the postseason.
Thankfully for Matt LaFleur & Co., that won't be the case when they welcome their longtime rivals to Lambeau Field this Sunday, as their playoff ticket was punched with their win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football to close out Week 16.
With the loss to the Vikings, however, the Packers were not only knocked out of the race for the No. 5 seed but were also knocked out of the No. 6 slot by the Washington Commanders and will need some help to reclaim it.
Updated NFC playoff picture and standings heading into Week 18
Here's what the NFC side of the playoff bracket looks like heading into the final week of the regular season.
- Detroit Lions (14-2, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, 1st NFC East)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-6, 1st NFC West)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, 1st NFC South)
- Minnesota Vikings (14-2, 2nd NFC North)
- Washington Commanders (11-5, 2nd NFC East)
- Green Bay Packers (11-5, 3rd NFC North)
Heading into Week 18, the only team the Packers need to concern themselves with is the Commanders, who clinched their spot on Sunday night with a wild overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.
While both are 11-5, Washington owns the tiebreaker over Green Bay due to having a better record within the conference.
As such, the only way the Packers can reclaim the No. 6 seed is by beating the Bears and then having the Commanders lose to the Dallas Cowboys. If Green Bay loses to Chicago, it doesn't matter what Washington does.
If both win or both lose, the sixth spot goes to the Commanders, as that same conference-record tiebreaker mentioned above comes into play.
However things shake out, the No. 7 seed is already guaranteed a date in the Wild Card Round in Philadelphia against the second-seeded Eagles.
The No. 6 seed will hit the road to take on the No. 3 seed, which is still up for grabs. It will likely be the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams but it could also be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are currently in control of the NFC South. The Falcons can also still win the South but can't win the No. 3 seed because they can't catch the Rams based on simple win-loss record.