Packers coach Matt LaFleur gives final update before Saints game
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur talks about injuries and more heading into Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
The Green Bay Packers know they’re in the NFL playoffs with a victory Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.
But there are other factors that’ll determine where the Packers will land in the NFL playoff picture. And there’s one highly unlikely scenario they don’t make the playoffs at all.
Here’s what to know:
What does the NFC playoff picture look like today?
Here are the current NFC playoff seedings, if the season ended today:
- Detroit Lions (13-2), NFC North winner
- Philadelphia Eagles (12-3), NFC East winner
- Los Angeles Rams (9-6), NFC West winner
- Atlanta Falcons (8-7), NFC South winner
- Minnesota Vikings (13-2), first wild-card team
- Green Bay Packers (10-4), second wild-card team
- Washington Commanders (10-5), third wild-card team
There’s one major concern still on the horizon for the Packers
Green Bay’s chances of making the playoffs are 99% and, with no chance left of winning the NFC North, the Packers will be going on the road as a wild-card team in the postseason.
But potentially the biggest issue for the Packers is staying ahead of Washington, which is 10-5 and a half-game behind 10-4 Green Bay. The Commanders own the tiebreaker between the two teams, thanks to the teams’ records in NFC games.
Falling to No. 7 would almost certainly require a team to beat both Philadelphia and Detroit to advance to the NFC championship game, a tall task for any team.
As the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, Green Bay would face the perceptively far-easier challenge of either the NFC South champion (Atlanta if the season ended today) or the NFC West champion (Los Angeles if the season ended today) before meeting either Detroit or Philadelphia in the divisional round.
What do the Packers need to do to stay ahead of the Commanders?
The Packers will need to match the Commanders’ results in their last three games.
After Monday night’s game against New Orleans, Green Bay is at Minnesota (13-2) on Sunday and at home against Chicago (4-11) at a time and date to be determined the following weekend.
Washington just defeated Philadelphia, hosts Atlanta (8-7) on Sunday and finishes at Dallas (7-8).
So the Packers might need to win out to stay ahead of the Commanders and keep the No. 6 seed.
Can the Packers catch the Vikings for the No. 5 seed?
Yes, it’s possible for Green Bay to move into the first wild-card spot — by winning out and having Minnesota lose out.
Both teams would be 13-4 and the Packers would have the tiebreaker. It would mean the Vikings would not only lose to the Packers on Sunday but lose to the Lions the following weekend.
Bypassing Minnesota wouldn’t necessarily change much about the playoff picture; if the Vikings and Packers held on to the 5 and 6 seeds, they’re each getting either the NFC South or NFC West champion.
But given that both the Vikings and Packers are strong teams, you can’t rule out a matchup of those two in the NFC championship game, which would be played at the home of the 5 seed in that case.
Can the Packers miss the playoffs?
The 1% scenario in which the Packers are left out of the playoffs is if they lose out and both Atlanta and Tampa Bay win their last two games.
All three teams would be 10-7, Atlanta would be the NFC South winner and Tampa Bay would hold the tiebreaker over Green Bay for a playoff spot.
Atlanta is at Washington on Sunday and hosts Carolina the following weekend. Tampa Bay hosts Carolina on Sunday and hosts New Orleans the following weekend.
