The Packers are not going to win the NFC North this year. Mathematically it remains possible, but realistically that dream died with the loss to the Lions. With nine wins already, they likely need only one more win to secure a playoff spot. That doesn’t mean Green Bay has the luxury of taking their foot off the gas though.
This is the NFL, anybody can beat anybody. Looking ahead on the schedule the easiest win available is likely New Orleans on Monday Night two weeks from now. The remaining three games all have factors that should make Green Bay anything but comfortable.
They have two remaining divisional games left. Despite the close score Minnesota jumped all over the Packers when they met in week four. Slow starts have plagued this team this season, and if they want to avoid a similar fate they need to play a complete game against a team that’s already hit the ten win mark.
Chicago on the other hand is not a good team. This does not matter. Playing the Packers has become the Bears own personal Super Bowl. If Chicago comes to Lambeau with even the slightest chance of preventing Green Bay from making the playoffs they’ll throw everything they have at the Packers.
That leaves Seattle, and strangely this game feels like the most important of the bunch. This is the exact kind of game the Packers need to win if they want to feel good about their odds with the playoffs approaching. Currently only two of the teams wins are against opponents with winning records. Seattle is coming off of four straight wins. They also have weaknesses that Green Bay has to and should be able to attack.
Going into a hostile environment against a team on a hot streak and coming out with a win could be what propels this Packers team into the playoffs with real momentum. A loss leaves the team with questions they don’t want, and more pressure for themselves as the playoffs remain open.
Packers Players on the Hot Seat
It is not just the team that faces a crucial four week stretch either. Several players on the roster will need to take advantage of these games if they want to remain part of the Packers future plans.
On the defensive side two players have a lot at stake as the season nears it’s end. Quay Walker had two really good games against the Niners and Dolphins. Green Bay picking up his fifth year option still seemed unlikely, but if he kept playing like he did in those games it would at least be a discussion. Then came the Detroit game where they got whatever they wanted over the middle of the field. The kind of thing Green Bay drafted Walker to help prevent. He will need to find the guy from the previous two weeks if he wants to be on the roster next season.
It feels strange to say, but Jaire Alexander is the other player that may need to step up in a big way or risk looking for a new team next year. For a team with CB depth issues like Green Bay has this may seem insane. Alexander has missed essentially half of the games Green Bay has played over the last two seasons. This includes multiple key divisional games this year. The Packers need Alexander on the field if they want to make a deep playoff run. If he remains unavailable again, Green Bay may start wondering if they need replacements instead of reinforcements.
Josh Myers is the perhaps the player most of all that can decide his fate with how the rest of the season plays out. He started off the season playing well, but had fallen off in recent weeks, culminating in this:
Offensive line is one of the most important things a successful team invests in. I anticipate next years draft being very heavy on the defensive side of the ball. If Myers can’t show marked improvement in these last four games it would not surprise me if Green Bay spent at least one pick addressing the center spot.
