Packers Playoff Picture

When the Green Bay Packers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 12, their record was 4-8, their quarterback had broken ribs and the season looked doomed.

The Packers’ playoff chances were so remote that one of the country’s biggest sportsbooks, FanDuel, no longer listed them in their “Odds to make playoffs” market.

The Packers not only are back on the list, they became the favorite to claim the final spot in the NFC playoffs after beating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Officially, the Packers remain in 10th place in the NFC. As was the case after beating the Los Angeles Rams last Monday night, the Packers trail the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions in the race for the final two playoff spots. But, after the Giants, Commanders, Seahawks and Lions all lost on Saturday and the Packers upset the Dolphins on Sunday, Green Bay is just a half-game behind Washington for the final spot.

“I’d like to be, you know, 10-5, 11-4, but, considering where we were a few weeks ago, a lot of has happened in our favor,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after the game. “All the games that needed to go a certain way went a certain way. Now, there’s obviously much left, but we’ve played meaningful games in December, we won all three of those. Now we’re playing meaningful games in January, and we’ve got to win those.”

It won’t be easy. Of the five teams chasing the final two spots, the Packers have the toughest remaining schedule with home games against the Minnesota Vikings (12-3) and Detroit Lions (7-8). But with the momentum of three consecutive wins, homefield advantage and a battle-tested team, Green Bay is surging at the right time.

“It means that the work is working and just keep doing the things that we’ve been doing and things like that happen,” tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “We’ve just got to stay the course. You don’t really control wins and losses, but your attitude and your effort and your preparation going into games, you have complete control over that and today, we handled business.”

With the Dallas Cowboys having secured one spot, here is a look at the race for the final two spots in the NFC playoffs.

New York Giants (8-6-1)

Week 17: vs. Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1)

Week 18: at Philadelphia Eagles (13-2)

The Giants need only to win one game to get in the playoffs. They’re in good shape with the slumping Colts coming to town next week.

“We control our own destiny,” Giants running back Saquon Barkley said. “Win and you’re in. At home. That’s beautiful.”

If they were to somehow lose that game, they’d face the powerhouse Eagles in the finale. Philadelphia might have the No. 1 seed wrapped up, so it could be the Giants facing Gardner Minshew instead of MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, though Minshew almost won at Dallas on Saturday.

Washington Commanders (7-7-1)

Week 17: vs. Cleveland Browns (6-9)

Week 18: vs. Dallas Cowboys (11-4)

Washington is the target. The Commanders are slumping and have no idea what they’re doing at quarterback. At one point, Taylor Heinicke led them to six wins in seven games. Now, they’re 0-2-1 in their last three games. Carson Wentz replaced Heinicke for the end of Saturday’s loss to San Francisco.

On one hand, their final two games are at home and both are winnable. Cleveland is 2-5 on the road and has scored just 33 points its last three games.

If Washington were to lose that game, it would host Dallas in the finale. The Cowboys might be locked into the No. 5 seed. If that’s the case, chances are coach Mike McCarthy will rest his key players with an eye toward a wild-card game the following weekend.

Thus, the Packers’ playoff hopes might hinge on quarterback Cooper Rush, running back Malik Davis and rookie receiver Jalen Tolbert.

​”We still control our destiny,” Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said. “Other teams in contention with us lost, as well, so it’s kind of like a stalemate. But we’ve got to find a way to come back and get a win against Cleveland back at home. These last two at home, you can’t really ask for much more to have an opportunity to get into the playoffs. We have two chances at home to do it, and we just got to get back and see what we can do to get that done.”

Seattle Seahawks (7-8)

Week 17: vs New York Jets (7-8)

Week 18: vs. Los Angeles Rams (5-10)

The Seahawks are in eighth place because of tiebreakers. Detroit owns the tiebreaker over Green Bay because of its week nine victory, and Seattle owns the tiebreaker over Detroit because of its week four win.

Really, though, Seattle is irrelevant from Green Bay’s perspective. If the Packers and Seahawks win out and tie at 9-8, Green Bay would win the tiebreaker based on conference records.

Seattle has fallen apart. A four-game winning streak lifted it to 6-3 and into first place in the NFC West. However, it’s 1-5 in its last six games. It does get its last two games at home, where it’s dropped three straight.

“These last two games will be enormous for us, obviously,’’ Seattle coach Pete Carroll said following the loss to the Chiefs on Saturday. “We are playing the championship of the season right now. That is how we are going to approach it to get it done and give us a chance to be in it in the end.”

Detroit Lions (7-8)

Week 17: vs Chicago Bears (3-12)

Week 18: at Green Bay Packers (7-8)

The Lions were the darlings of the NFL after winning six of seven games to charge into the playoff hunt following a 1-6 start. But Detroit was upset on the road by the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. The Lions’ horrendous defense was torched for 320 rushing yards.

Presumably, Detroit will beat Chicago next week. That would set the stage for a make-or-break week 18 showdown at Lambeau Field. The Lions haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 and haven’t won a playoff game since reaching the NFC Championship Game in 1991.

For what it’s worth, the Lions have played one game on grass all season, a 31-30 win over Chicago on Nov. 13.

“I’ve been saying it all along while we were winning games, none of it matters if we don’t go out there and perform again for the next one,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “And we were kind of in a position to control our own destiny and we kind of fumbled it away. So, all we can do now is go and play these next two games. We got two divisional opponents coming up and whatever happens, happens.”

Green Bay Packers (7-8)

Week 17: vs Minnesota Vikings (12-3)

Week 18: vs Detroit Lions (7-8)

With three consecutive victories and everybody else dropping like bowling pins, the Packers have put themselves in position for the most unlikely of playoff berths. They’ll have to beat two quality teams, and get some more help, to turn those dreams into reality.

For what it’s worth, Mother Nature is going to release her icy grip on the area just in time for two dome teams to come to town. According to Accuweather, the forecast for Sunday’s game against the Vikings is calling for a high of 37 with a chance of showers.

For the finale against Detroit, the long-range projection is a high of 26. With the potential of the game being flexed into primetime, the predicted low is 19 with wind chills in the single digits.

“We like our position, but it starts one game at a time with an NFC North opponent, which is Minnesota. (We have to) handle that first,” running back Aaron Jones said. “Before we look past or look forward to anything, you have to handle what’s in front of you.”