Surging off a two-game win streak, the Packers will enter a Week 13 tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs with a lot on the line. Not only does the primetime matchup against Kansas City provide a true litmus test for the Packers, but clearing the reigning Super Bowl champs would put Green Bay in a comfortable spot down the stretch.
After upsetting the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, the playoffs are becoming increasingly possible for the Packers.
The Recipe:
First off, Green Bay must get some help along the way. The Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings are also all lurking in the race for a wildcard spot. Of those teams, Dallas has the most difficult path to the playoffs. The Cowboys play the Seahawks in Week 13 and then must begin a stretch of games that includes tilts against the Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, and Lions. All of that will occur in consecutive weeks. The playoff bracket in the NFC will feature three wild card teams, plus four division winners. By the time Dallas plays Washington in their season finale, the Cowboys could find themselves on the outside looking in.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four games. Seattle sits just slightly ahead of Green Bay in the NFC standings. After traveling to Dallas in Week 13, Seattle must visit San Francisco and then host the Eagles. Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense have been sputtering. They also still have to get through the Steelers and Titans before the season ends. Both Pittsburgh and Tennessee have formidable defenses and strong rushing attacks. The Seahawks rank in the bottom third for yards allowed on the ground. A few Seattle losses along the way would certainly help the Packers stay in the mix for a wildcard spot.
As for the Vikings, the team is 7-2 in their last nine games. They have found a spark behind Josh Dobbs at quarterback. With Justin Jefferson set to return from injury, Minnesota is a sneaky contender in the NFC. The Vikings still have to square off twice against the Detroit Lions. Otherwise, Minnesota has a Joe Burrow-less Bengals squad on deck. Also lurking for the Vikings are two feisty teams: the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. No wins come easy in the NFL, but on paper, Minnesota has a manageable schedule going forward.
Of course, the Packers must get through both the Bears and Vikings. But after their game against the Chiefs, Green Bay plays three teams with a combined record of 8-23.
How Green Bay Got Here:
Surprisingly, the Packers stole turkey day by beating the Lions on Thanksgiving. The win put the Packers just one game behind the Vikings for second place in the NFC North. A win over Detroit not only helped their standings but also showed what Love and the offense can do. Love had arguably his best game of the season against Detroit, and that was coming off a rock-solid performance against the Chargers.
With big plays from the young playmakers, plus a creative offensive attack designed by Matt Lafleur, the Packers’ offense can build off their win over Detroit. Against the Lions, Love was able to connect on four of his deep throws after having middling success on throws over 15 yards in recent games. While the run game for Green Bay was serviceable at best, Love got the offense going by spreading the ball around to his receivers and playing turnover-free football. Since tossing two interceptions against the Steelers, Love has thrown 5 touchdowns to 0 interceptions and has completed at least 67% of his passes in his last two games.
An effective, and sometimes explosive, passing attack helped Green Bay against Detroit just as much as their opportunistic defense. Although Lions quarterback Jared Goff didn’t throw any interceptions, the Packers forced him into losing three fumbles. Jonathan Owens turned one fumble into a scoop and score, which helped the Packers build a two-score lead early in the game. Although Green Bay allowed multiple plays over 20 yards to Detroit, their defense came up with a big fourth down stop in the fourth quarter. They also prevented the Lions from converting a fake punt early in the second half.
More turnovers from the defense will help Green Bay stay in close games, and if the offense can continue to generate explosive plays, this Packers team’s playoff hopes will become increasingly possible.
Main Photo: [Junfu Han] – USA Today Sports
