The Packers feel they are close, but the real answer to a big problem won't come before the playoffs
It's clear that the Green Bay Packers are a good football team. They are 11-5 and clinched a playoff berth two weeks before the end of the regular season. But this is a wild stat: they are 11-0 against teams with a worse record right now, and 0-5 against teams with a better record. They […]
It's clear that the Green Bay Packers are a good football team. They are 11-5 and clinched a playoff berth two weeks before the end of the regular season.
But this is a wild stat: they are 11-0 against teams with a worse record right now, and 0-5 against teams with a better record.
They were swept by the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, and also lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil in Week 1. Those are the best teams in the NFC, and Green Bay will have to find a way against them if they want a deep playoff run.
"The margins in this league, especially against a good football team, are razor thin," head coach Matt LaFleur said after the loss to the Vikings on Sunday. "I don't think we were at our best, but credit to them for our slow start. That's me as much as anybody. I gotta be better and we gotta get better. We gotta learn from this and try to move on."
Asked if the Packers are on the same tier as teams like the top ones in the NFC, Xavier McKinney had a perfect and honest perspective.
“I want to say yes, but, right now the story is, we haven't beaten those teams,” the safety pointed out. “We gotta be more on our details, we gotta play cleaner, we gotta start faster."
The Packers will fight for the sixth seed in the NFC. Getting it or not, the playoff path will eventually lead to games with the Eagles, Vikings, and/or Lions if Green Bay goes far enough. Even though the regular season results don't sound promising, LaFleur is still confident they are close enough.
"We absolutely can win one of these games, we gotta go do it. Bottom line," LaFleur affirmed. "We gotta earn the right to play these guys again. It's not gonna be easy, it's gonna be a tough road. That's a challenge that we'll gladly accept."
As a wild card, the playoffs will most likely include three road games if the Packers want to reach the Super Bowl. Quarterback Jordan Love knows they have to get better to beat these elite teams on the road.
"That's going to be our reality," Love said. "We're going to have to find ways in the playoffs to go in a road environment and win those tough games. We know it's only going to get tougher for us."
In Week 18, the Packers face the Chicago Bears. It might not be a valuable game, but it's not meaningless either — seeding still matters after all. However, the Packers have already proven they can beat bad teams. The real answers won't come before the postseason.
It’s getting too late for the Packers to deny what they have been the entire season after another loss to the Vikings
The fight for the fifth seed is over
