On Monday, the Green Bay Packers clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year. After defeating the New Orleans Saints 34-0, Jordan Love has led his team back to the playoffs. Despite clinching a playoff berth, the Packers cannot win the NFC North. With two regular season games remaining, they will be a wild card team but even though they are confined to that position, there is still plenty to play for these next two weeks.
The Packers are playing for the 5, 6, or 7 seeds in the NFC playoff bracket. The Packers are set to take on the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears to finish out the regular season. Green Bay will head to Minnesota on Sunday and then return to play host to the Bears in Week 18. With a loaded NFC, securing the top wild card seed is critical for Green Bay. However, it is clear that Green Bay, when playing to their potential, can run with the best of them. Let’s dive into the three things at stake for the Packers.
The Packers Are Playing For the Chance to Get Hot
In 2023, the Packers played their best ball down the stretch. In fact, their best performance of the year came in the Wild Card round when they defeated the 2 seeded Dallas Cowboys. The Packers are currently riding a five game 30 point plus streak. The Green Bay defense is coming off a shutout performance against the Saints. This comes right after they held the Seahawks to 13 points in Week 15. With the high level offense of the Vikings on deck, the Green Bay defense can showcase their ability and really gain some confidence with a solid performance.
After the Saints game, Jordan Love told the media that he believes the offense has left points off the board. That is quite the statement when he has delivered five straight 30 point plus performances. But Love does have a point. The margin of error in the playoffs is razor thin. Green Bay will need to capitalize on as many scoring chances as possible and be extremely efficient in the redzone. Expect the Packers to prioritize this during the final two games. If the defense can continue this level of confident play while the offense focuses on redzone efficiency, Green Bay will be awfully dangerous in January.
The Packers Need to Play for Seeding Purposes
The three NFC Wild Card teams are going to be three really solid football teams. It is likely that the 5 and 6 seeds will be either the Lions, Vikings, or Packers. These three teams have a combined record of 37-8. The top two NFC seeds will either be Detroit, Minnesota, or Philadelphia. Since the 1 Seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the Divisional Round, the Packers would be guaranteed to play the top two seeds if they are the 7 seed. In the event Green Bay secures the 5 or the 6 seed, there is a chance they could avoid the top two seeds in the first two rounds if there are multiple upsets.
Additionally, in a very rare scenario, securing the 5 seed could produce a home NFC Championship playoff game in Green Bay. Due to the outrageous seasons of the three NFC North teams, it is not out of the question that the two teams who do not win the division could meet again in the NFC Championship. The Packers, the Lions, and the Vikings will not be easy outs. In the fact, the two that finish in the wild card spots might be the most intimidating wild card teams in recent history.
Green Bay Has a Chance to Make a Statement
There is no question that the Green Bay Packers are a very good football team. However, the Packers four losses have all come against the Lions, the Vikings, and the Eagles. These happen to be the three teams who have better records than the Packers. With a massive game in Minnesota on Sunday, the Packers can officially announce to the rest of the NFC and the NFL that they too belong in the same conversation as the top three NFC teams if they can defeat the Vikings.
This Packers team does not lack confidence. They seem to believe that they can beat any team on any given Sunday. However, belief is nice and all but actually beating a team ahead of Green Bay in the standings will be a gigantic confidence booster for this team as they head into the playoffs. With a lot at stake, these next two games are opportunities for the Packers to finish strong and grab some momentum as they head into the playoffs.
