GREEN BAY, Wis. – There was no rooting interest for the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could beat the Detroit Lions, the Packers would have extended their lead over their top rival in the NFC North. If the Lions could beat the Buccaneers, the Packers would move past Tampa Bay and into first place in the race for homefield advantage in the NFC.
The Lions beat up on the Buccaneers, which means the Packers have the best record in the conference.
NFC Playoff Standings
1. Green Bay Packers (first place, NFC North): 4-1-1
2. San Francisco 49ers (first place, NFC West): 5-2
3. Philadelphia Eagles (first place, NFC East): 5-2
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first place, NFC South): 5-2
5. Detroit Lions (second place, NFC North): 5-2
6. Seattle Seahawks (second place, NFC West): 5-2
7. Los Angeles Rams (third place, NFC West): 5-2
– – –
8. Chicago Bears (third place, NFC North): 4-2
9. Carolina Panthers (second place, NFC South): 4-3
10. Dallas Cowboys (third place, NFC East): 3-3-1
11. Atlanta Falcons (third place, NFC South): 3-3
12. Minnesota Vikings (fourth place, NFC North): 3-3
13. Washington Commanders (third place, NFC East): 3-4
14. Arizona Cardinals (fourth place, NFC West): 2-5
15. New York Giants (fourth place, NFC East): 2-5
16. New Orleans Saints (fourth place, NFC South): 1-6
NFC Dominance Continues
Just look at the standings. There are seven teams in the NFC that are 5-2 or better. Meanwhile, only three AFC teams have won five games. On the other hand, only four teams in the NFC have losing records while eight AFC teams are underwater.
Just how tight is the playoff race? Green Bay has a half-game lead on Chicago, and yet the Packers are atop the NFC playoff standings and the Bears are on the wrong side of the bubble.
After going 3-1 in Week 7, the NFC is 25-13 against the AFC.
No wonder coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t pounding his chest about the team’s strong finish pushing it across the finish line at Arizona on Sunday.
“The penalties are a real problem,” LaFleur said on Monday. “Especially the controllables in regards to, twice we jumped offsides on a third down. You could tell the one play, where it was third-and-whatever, third-and-23, whatever it was, you could tell that Jacoby (Brissett) saw the flag and he just threw one up down the sidelines. And so it’s a free play for the offense and there’s no consequence.
“We can’t put ourselves in that position. Then, offensively, there was a guy called for an offsides, illegal formation, had a silly deal on a screen where we’re blocking before the ball’s released. I think more than anything else it’s just being on top of the details so you can go out there and execute at a high level. And we’re far from that right now.”
Micah Parsons was the star of the game with three sacks, including one that helped seal the victory.
“We had our moment, and we took advantage of it,” he said after the game. “Now it’s just about how can we play a complete four quarters? That second quarter at the end of the half was a little rough by us. We’re just glad that we finished stronger this time. So it was kind of flipflopped. I just want to do a consistent four (quarters).”
Strength of Schedule
According to Tankathon, the Packers have the seventh-most-difficult remaining strength of schedule, with their final 11 opponents having a combined .563 winning percentage. Only two of those teams have a losing record.
Once again, the power of the NFC is seen here. The 10 most difficult schedules belong to NFC teams. Focusing on the NFC North, the Lions are fourth at .569, the Vikings are fifth at .568 and the Bears are 10th at .542.
The Packers have played only one team with a winning record, the Lions, who are 5-2. Their strength of schedule thus far is .440 and their strength of victory is .464.
With tougher opponents on the way, the Packers know they have to play better.
“I think the thing we could be the most proud of (is) last year, in this same situations, we didn’t find a way to win,” running back Josh Jacobs said after his latest two-touchdown performance. “Whatever it looked like, finding a way to win is what makes good teams become elite. Regardless of how the game went – obviously, we had a lot of highs and lows – finding a way to win in this league is always the most important thing.”
Packers Playoff Chances
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Packers have an 81.4 percent chance of reaching the playoffs and a 45.4 percent chance of winning the NFC North. From last week, the playoff percentage improved by about 3 percent but their division title chances dipped by 0.3 percent. Detroit is the favorite at 45.6 percent.
According to Playoff Status, the Packers’ playoff chances soared from 54 percent to 66 percent.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers are -550 to reach the playoffs, which is the same as last week. Green Bay had the third-shortest playoff odds last week but are tied for fifth this week. The Colts have the shortest odds at -2200, the Bills are -1600 and the Chiefs are -900.
The next five teams are from the NFC, with the Lions at -590, the Eagles and Packers at -550, the Buccaneers at -500 and the Rams at -430. By implied probability, the Packers have an 84.6 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
The Packers, by the way, are 3.5-point favorites against the Steelers on Sunday night.
