The Green Bay Packers are 11-4 following the 34-0 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. What is more, Green Bay clinched their second consecutive trip to the NFL Playoffs with their latest victory. Now, the team heads into Week 17 with thoughts on improving their position in the NFC.
This week’s game will be an important one in this manner. The Packers will take on the 13-2 Minnesota Vikings, who are two games ahead of them in the standings. As it is right now, the Detroit Lions are the NFC’s top seed followed by the 12-3 Philadelphia Eagles. The 9-6 Los Angeles Rams and 8-7 Atlanta Falcons hold the third and fourth seeds, respectively, as they lead their divisions.
This means that the Vikings hold the fifth seed, the Packers the sixth, and the 10-5 Washington Commanders have the last Wild Card spot.
The Green Bay Packers Can Still Move Up in the NFL Playoffs Standings
Wm. Glasheen
As mentioned, the Packers have already clinched a spot in the NFL Playoffs. This marks the second season in a row, both with Jordan Love under center, that Green Bay will compete in the postseason.
Last season, they snuck in with a 9-8 record and had the seventh seed. As fans may recall, the Packers upset former head coach Mike McCarthy and the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
If the standings were to remain the same, the Packers would face the third-seeded Rams in the first round. Losing their remaining two games and potentially falling to the seventh seed would mean that they would have to face the dangerous Eagles. Winning out with Minnesota losing both of their remaining games (which is possible as they play Green Bay and Detroit in back-to-back weeks to end the regular season) could improve their seeding to fifth, setting up a matchup with the Falcons.
Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores Is Worried About Stopping Green Bay Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs
The Packers and Vikings met earlier this year with Minnesota coming out on top in Week Four by the score of 31-29. Green Bay was forced to pass early and often as the Vikings jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead. Love threw three interceptions in that game (as well as four touchdowns), his first since spraining in MCL against the Eagles in Week One.
Despite the deficit, the Packers stormed back in the fourth quarter and nearly pulled off the comeback. Since then, running back Josh Jacobs has proven that he is still one of the premier backs in the NFL, a development that has Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores a little worried about Sunday:
Brian Flores on Josh Jacobs: “I think we’ve done a good job of tackling, but Josh Jacobs makes me feel like we need to talk about tackling.”
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) December 24, 2024
Jacobs leads the NFL in missed tackles forced and is fourth in the league with 1,216 rushing yards. If the Packers are to win a crucial game on Sunday in Minnesota, he will have to continue to be the focal point of the offense.
Flores and the Vikings know what is coming. The question is whether or not they will be able to stop it. They do have the second-best run defense in the league, allowing just 87.1 rushing yards per game.
The Packers, meanwhile, average 147.3 rushing yards per game, the fourth-best mark in the league, with Jacobs averaging 81.1 yards per game (the fifth-best among running backs).
It is truly going to be an excellent battle.
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