Five Week 15 matchups the Packers won’t play in but may end up deciding their entire playoff fate.QQ
The Packers will be hoping for several upsets this Sunday.
With a 28-21 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field last Sunday, the Green Bay Packers upped their winning streak to four and improved to 9-3-1 on the season, thus taking over first place in the NFC North while also bumping up to the No. 2 seed in the conference, trailing only the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams.
But the Packers didn’t have much time to celebrate, as they quickly had to turn their attention to their high-profile Week 15 matchup on the road with the red-hot Denver Broncos, who have won 10 in a row and are currently in possession of the No. 1 seed in the AFC at 11-2. The Broncos have also won 11 straight games at home dating back to last season, which represents the longest current streak in the NFL.
Nevertheless, Green Bay is actually favored in this game. And given the overall state of the NFC playoff picture, Matt LaFleur & Co. need every win they can get coming down the stretch. Here’s a quick look at how things stand heading into the Sunday action of Week 15. As you’ll see, things have been updated to reflect the Carolina Panthers moving into first place in the NFC South following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
- Los Angeles Rams (10-3, 1st NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-3-1, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-5, 1st NFC East)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-3, 2nd NFC West)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (9-4, 2nd NFC North)
- Detroit Lions (8-5, 3rd NFC North)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 2nd NFC South)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8, 4th NFC North)
As you can see, things are tight as can be in both the NFC North and wild-card races. So, again, every win Green Bay can get will be crucial. But beyond taking care of their own business, the Packers will also have rooting interests in several other matchups on Sunday that can affect their push toward the postseason.
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears
This is obviously a no-brainer. The Packers, of course, took an upset loss to the Browns back in Week 3, and they’re hoping Cleveland can go into Soldier Field and take down the Bears as well. Green Bay will visit the Windy City next week and still holding a lead over Chicago would be beneficial.
Las Vegas Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles
While the Eagles have let the Cowboys hang around in the NFC East by dropping their last three, they’re still in great shape to win the division. But even if the Birds drop down into the wild-card race at some point, the Packers could be fighting them for seeding in some capacity, so seeing them lose to the Raiders, however unlikely that may be, wouldn’t hurt.
Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams
This is an interesting matchup, as Green Bay could actually root for both teams here.
On one hand, the Packers may end up needing to surpass the Rams to take the No. 1 seed if Los Angeles ends up winning the NFC West. However, they also have to win the NFC North to even get that chance. So, having the Lions, who are still in the mix at 8-5, falling a little further back in the division, would also be helpful.
Go with your gut in this one, Cheeseheads.
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
As mentioned, the Panthers moved into first place in the NFC South with the Bucs’ loss to the Falcons on Thursday night. This one doesn’t matter all that much, but the bigger advantage Green Bay has on any of these top teams helps, so the Packers could be hoping for a Saints upset.
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers
This is another no-brainer, as the Packers could end up battling the 49ers for seeding either among the top four slots reserved for division winners or down in the bottom three wild-card slots. So, when all is said and done this season, Green Bay will be hoping to remember the Titans upsetting San Francisco. Yeah, you see what we did there.
Enjoy the rest of Week 15, everyone.
