The Green Bay Packers did what they needed to do against the Carolina Panthers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now, the way in which they won is concerning, but a win is a win. Only two games remain in this exciting new Packers team. Let’s look at what needs to happen in week 17 to help get the Packers to the postseason.
Green Bay Packers Cheering Guide
Week 17
The Packers currently are 10th in the NFC playoff race. Now that the Cowboys have clinched the playoffs, only two wildcard spots remain in the NFC. PFF gives the Packers a 30% chance of making the postseason. That is four percent higher than the Vikings, the team the Packers play this week.
Here are the games the Packers will need to have go their way if they want to make playoffs:
- Chicago over Atlanta
- The Packers don’t often find themselves rooting for the Bears. In this case, we will be. The Falcons sit one spot ahead of the Packers in the Playoff race. If the Falcons drop one of their remaining two games and the Packers win, they move ahead in the wildcard.
- Giants over Rams
- The Rams must lose at least one of their remaining games to help Green Bay. Since the Packers own the head-to-head tiebreaker, as long as the Packers win out, they will get the nod over the Rams. A bonus is the Rams play the 49ers in week 18. The Niners loss to the Ravens might have helped make that game a little more challenging for the Rams.
- Buccaneers over Saints
- The Packers own the tiebreaker against the Saints, not the Bucs, and it’s as simple as that.
Less Important Games
- Pittsburg over Seattle
- It seems like Seattle is going to claim one of the wildcard spots. They have the Cardinals in week 18. So even if they lose to the Steelers, they probably win week 18. That would be great for the Packers playoff hopes if they lose back-to-back games.
- Detroit over Dallas
- Dallas has already clinched the playoffs. The best-case scenario here is Detroit putting some pressure on the Niners for the one seed. That will ensure that the week 18 game between the Rams and Niners will be with full rosters.
- Eagles over Cardinals
- For the same reason, we want Detroit over Dallas. Put pressure on the Niners to perform in week 18.
Beat the Vikings
The Green Bay Packers must beat the Vikings for their realistic playoff hopes to stay alive. The Vikings are also in the hunt. While it doesn’t quite feel that way with the revolving door at quarterback, it is. This Packers defense hasn’t instilled any confidence that the Packers can stop Justin Jefferson or even win this game against a fourth-string quarterback.
It might be up to Jordan Love and this young offense to rescue this defense again. Early in the season, our defense didn’t shy away from saying they needed to hold teams to no points to win. It’s funny how the offense hasn’t said anything about the defense getting stops after these last few games. That’s what real teammates do; they find a way to pick up the slack without blame.
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