Packers' playoff chances after loss to Lions; Odds, schedule, record

The Green Bay Packers suffered their first loss in a month when they lost 34-31 to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. That was a major setback for their NFC North title hopes.

But what about the Packers’ playoff chances?

Are the Packers’ chances of making the playoffs for the second year in a row still good?

The win for the Lions (12-1) put them in the playoffs for the second straight year as they have their eyes firmly on the top spot in the NFC playoffs. The Packers are now three games behind the Lions in the standings and without a tiebreaker.

With the division championship all but out of reach, the Packers (9-4) can focus on their final four games of the season and secure a playoff spot.

Here’s the latest after the Packers Week 14 game:

NFC playoff picture

The win secured the Lions’ ticket to the playoffs and gave them a 1.5 game lead over the NFC’s No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles. The top four teams are division leaders. Seeds 5-7 are wildcard teams.

Detroit Lions: 12-1, defeated the Packers 34-31 on Thursday
Philadelphia Eagles: 10-2, host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday
Seattle Seahawks: 7-5, host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday
Atlanta Falcons: 6-6, play at Minnesota Vikings on Sunday
Minnesota Vikings: 10-2, host Atlanta Falcons on Sunday
Green Bay Packers: 9-4, lost to the Lions, 34-31, on Thursday
Washington Commander: 8-5, bye

Packers playoff chances

Despite the loss to the Lions, the Packers still have a 98% chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff simulation. They are one game ahead of the seventh-placed Commanders, who have a bye this week.

Next up are the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams with 6-6 records heading into their Week 14 games.

Had the Packers won on Thursday, their chances of making the playoffs would have been over 99%.

Nonetheless, the Packers still look solid and will be at least two games ahead of the current 6-6 teams with four games to go if they win all of them on Sunday. And it’s essentially a three-game lead over the Cardinals and Rams, as previous wins put them in the head-to-head tiebreaker over both teams.

If the Packers lose to Seattle next week, they still have a 96% chance of making the playoffs, according to the NYT simulation. If they beat the Seahawks, their chances are over 99%.

Packers record

The Packers are 9-4 after Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season. They lost twice to the Lions, at home to the Vikings and in the season opener in Brazil to the Eagles.

At this point last year, the Packers were 6-7 after losing a disappointing game to the New York Giants on Monday night. The Packers lost their second straight game a week later at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, falling to 6-8 before rattling off three straight wins to finish 9-8 and punch their ticket to the playoffs last week solved.

Green Bay is in a much better position in 2024, but Matt LaFleur’s team wants to avoid any sort of late-season slip-up that would jeopardize their playoff chances.

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