First Round Scenarios for Green Bay: The Tough Road Ahead After Vikings Loss
The Green Bay Packers' loss to the Minnesota Vikings has made their playoff path a much tougher start than it needed to be. As the sixth seed, they could have faced some more favorable matchups instead of the Eagles. They could have hoped for other teams to eliminate those tougher opponents or for those teams to suffer. Now, the Packers will have to confront their demons head-on. At some point, every team has to face the best in the playoffs. The first round is a chance to show they can beat the cream of the crop and hold their own in the playoffs.
Sixth Seed Scenario: Packers Win and Commanders Lose
If the Packers needed any more motivation to beat the Bears beyond dignity and avoid embarrassment, this is it. Green Bay will be relying on their former coach, Mike McCarthy, to help them overcome the red-hot Washington Commanders. While it’s likely that the Cowboys will lose to the Commanders, stranger things have happened. If Dallas pulls off the seemingly impossible, the Packers would face the third seed, which could be either the Rams or the Buccaneers, depending on how Week 18 plays out. That said, Green Bay shouldn’t hold their breath about Dallas pulling off the win. It’s safer to assume they’ll be facing the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
Seventh Seed Scenario: Commanders Win, or Packers Lose
Even if the Packers get the job done against the Bears, it won’t save them from sliding to the seventh seed if the Commanders win against the Cowboys. The Commanders will avoid the tough first-round matchup on the road against the Eagles, but the Packers will find themselves revisiting the opponent who gave them the first loss of the season. The Packers did lose their last matchup, but that was also the first week of the regular season. While Green Bay has grown since then, their recent loss to one of the NFC’s top-tier teams suggests they might not be quite at that level yet. Every part of Packers fans would love to be proven wrong, but let’s just say their path to the Super Bowl doesn’t get any easier from here.
Green Bay fans can go down the rabbit hole of every playoff scenario, but at the end of the day, the reality is that the Packers will face top-tier teams in the NFC sooner or later. If they make it past the Eagles, they would then face the first seed, which will be either the Vikings or Lions, depending on who comes out on top in Week 18. In the regular season, the Packers failed to beat the Lions, Vikings, and Eagles, three teams they’re likely to encounter. There’s no easy path to the Lombardi Trophy, and if there was, the Super Bowl would lose its weight. Every team has to earn their way there. The Packers are facing a real test from the start. If they can beat the Eagles, it’ll prove they can hang with the league’s best. If not, their season will end just like it started.
