Nostra-Damon: Regular Season Weeks 17-18
In part six, I foresaw the Green Bay Packers play and win all three games in weeks 14-16. This left the Packers with a 9-6 record on the season with just two games remaining. In case you missed it, click here to catch up! This week, we finish up the regular season for the Packers and the rest of the league. Finally, I will share with the world how the playoff seeding will go down. This is Nostra-Damon: Peering Into The Packers Future Part Seven.
Week 17: Packers at Vikings
The Packers last played the Vikings back in week 8 in a blowout win for the Green and Gold. The score was 38-14. This game did not turn out the same way.
First, the Packers came out cold. Last week, the Packers had a thrilling win against the Panthers and it took a lot out of the team. Because, of this the Packers really couldn’t get anything going. There didn’t seem to be any passion.
Second, the Packers ball security was atrocious. Jordan Love had two interceptions on the day and both AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones had fumbles lost. The Packers had sustained drives that ended with zero points due to turnovers.
Finally, the Packers defense wasn’t on fire like it had been. The Vikings couldn’t be stopped consistently enough and because of that, the Minnesota Vikings fans’ passion never relented. Their fans definitely made an impact on the game.
All of this is to say that the game was still close. The Packers had the ball with less than two minutes left in the game, down three. The Jordan Love-led offense drove down the field close enough for a fifty-eight yard field goal. There were just five seconds left on the clock for Anders Carlson. Carlson had the leg but just missed wide left.
The Vikings won.
Packers 24-Vikings 27
Week 18: Bears at Packers
It was the last week of the regular season and the Packers were playing meaningful football. At this point, they held the division lead at 9-7 and had not clinched the playoffs yet. They had a high chance thanks to the wild card, but that would take some help if the Packers were to lose this game against the Bears.
The easiest path is just win-and-in. And of course, if they won, then they would actually host a playoff game. This game against the Bears was for the division championship. If they lost, then the winner of the Vikings-Lions game would win the division. Another thing to consider is that the winner of the Vikings-Lions game could still make the playoffs as a wildcard.
“Just win, baby.” – Al Davis
The Bears hadn’t had the season that they were hoping for at the start of the season. The Packers played the Bears at Soldier Field in week one, which feels like ages ago at this point. In regards to the final of that game, the Packers won 24-20. Both teams looked destined for great seasons, but due to injury and an underperforming roster, the Bears just might hold the first overall draft pick again.
The Packers had a lot more to play for and it showed. The Bears players seemed like they were ready for the offseason, while the Packers looked like they were going to go on a run. After a low-performing game the week before against the Vikings, the Packers couldn’t do anything wrong. They won this game easily.
Bears 10-Packers 31
Nostra-Damon: Regular Season Summary and Playoff Seeding
That ends the successful regular season for the Green Bay Packers. Consequently, the Packers have the privilege of playing further into January. More on that next week.
At this point, I would like to share with you, the reader, how every game for every team will turn out. Here it is:
Finally, here is the playoff seeding heading into the playoffs:
Next week, we will finish up this season’s Nostra-Damon with the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Will the Packers go all the way in Jordan Love’s first season? How about other teams? What about Aaron Rodgers’ Jets? Who knows?
I do.
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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