The Green Bay Packers are about to embark on a three game stretch that includes a matchup between each of the three NFC North teams. This Sunday, the Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a Thanksgiving showdown in Detroit against the Lions, and then the Packers will welcome the Chicago Bears to Green Bay in Week 14. This three game stretch will have a drastic effect on the Packers divisional and playoff hopes.
The Packers have yet to hit their stride in 2025. The calendar is starting to turn towards that time in the year when teams need to play their best football. The NFC North will be a dog fight and every chance Green Bay has to grab a bit of control, they must find a way. The Packers are coming off a road win in New York while the Vikings have lost two in a row. There seems to be a lot of concern and angst surrounding Vikings QB JJ McCarthy’s recent performances. Green Bay will look to take advantage of their home field and continue to make McCarthy uncomfortable. So much so, that on Monday, Matt LaFleur asked Packer fans not to sell their tickets to Viking fans.
The Packers will play two games within the next seven days. After the Vikings contest, Green Bay will, once again, play the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving. In their last two matchups in Detroit, the Packers have played tough. They surprised the Lions and knocked them off on Thanksgiving Day in 2023 and then lost on a field goal as time expired in 2024. With their recent success in Detroit and their Week 1 win over the Lions, Green Bay should feel confident that they can defeat the Lions.
The Packers Next Three Will Be Awfully Telling
According to the New York Times Playoff Simulator, the Green Bay Packers currently have a 76% to make the playoffs and a 39% chance to the win the NFC North. If the Packers beat the Vikings, Lions, and Bears over the next three weeks, their chances to make the playoffs will increase to 98% and 81% to win the division. If Green Bay loses all three games, their chances to make the playoffs drop to 20% and only a 2% chance to win the North. Let’s play out every scenario for the Packers the over the next three weeks:
It is safe to say that the next three weeks will have a massive determination of the Packers fate. Especially, if either the best case scenario(3-0) or the worst case scenario (0-3), occurs. The likely scenario is the Packers go 2-1 in one of those three scenarios which keeps their playoff and divisional hopes very much alive. Beating the Lions and the Bears, due to the current standings, will have the more influential outcomes and the more vital effect on Green Bay’s percentages.
Green Bay does have the benefit of playing two of these three games, the Vikings and the Bears, in Lambeau. Assuming that home field plays a factor, which is never a guarantee, the Packers will finish this stretch with a 2-1 record, 8-4-1 overall, with a 84% chance to make the playoffs and a 36% chance to win the division. The Packers started the back half of the season on the right foot with a win over the Giants but it was a far from perfect performance. Nonetheless, winning that game is a start. Now, the Packers’ goal is to keep the winning train rolling and hopefully, find their stride along the way.
