Sunday's results create concerning playoff implications for the Packers
The Green Bay Packers are close to securing a playoff spot, which can happen on Monday night with a win over the New Orleans Saints. On the other hand, Week 16 hasn't been great based on what the Packers are still fighting for. With wins for the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, the Packers can't […]
The Green Bay Packers are close to securing a playoff spot, which can happen on Monday night with a win over the New Orleans Saints. On the other hand, Week 16 hasn't been great based on what the Packers are still fighting for.
With wins for the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, the Packers can't win the NFC North anymore. But that was basically a guarantee. The worst is that the Washington Commanders unexpectedly beat the Philadelphia Eagles, making the competition for the sixth seed much more intense.
Timo Riske, from PFF, made projections ahead of Monday Night Football that indicates a higher chance for the Packers to be the seventh seed, at 41.1%, against 39.6% chances of being the sixth seed. That might be slightly more balanced if Green Bay beats the New Orleans Saints on Monday, but it's not a big difference since it's already heavily expected to win it.
However, the Commanders also have a higher chance of being the seventh seed if compared to the sixth seed. That happens because the Packers still have an 18.8% chance of getting the fifth seed. For this scenario to happen, the Packers must win out and root for a Vikings' loss to the Lions in Week 18.
Sixth seed battle
If the Packers win out, they will secure at least the sixth seed. If they lose a game, though, they open the door for the Commanders to surpass them. That's the case because Washington has a tie-breaking advantage over Green Bay due to their conference record. If both teams finish the regular season off with an equal record, the Commanders will have the higher seed.
That matters because the seventh seed will probably play the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round — it could also be, less likely, the Vikings.
If the Packers secure the sixth seed, though, the most likely matchups in the wild card round are the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or Atlanta Falcons. Not that the Packers can't beat the Eagles, but they would certainly prefer these easier paths.
The Packers play against the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears over the final three weeks of the season. The Commanders, who beat the Eagles on Sunday, will still play the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.
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