Did the Packers make the playoffs? NFC rankings, latest scenarios

The Green Bay Packers are in the playoffs.

They left no doubt about that last night as they defeated the New Orleans Saints 34-0 to close out Week 16 of the NFL schedule.

However, there are still two regular season games left before the 2024 NFL postseason, with a playoff berth on the line for Matt LaFleur’s team. The Packers will be a fifth, sixth or seventh seed in the playoffs and will play on the road, just like they did last year.

What are the Packers’ playoff scenarios, current standings, schedule and NFC seeds after Week 16?

Here’s the latest:

NFC playoff picture, rankings

The Packers remain in sixth place in the NFC standings, a position they have held in recent weeks. Monday’s shutout win not only secured their spot in the playoffs, but also maintained their one-game lead over the seventh-seeded Washington Commanders. And it kept her alive until the fifth seed.

Here is the NFC playoff picture (the four division leaders are numbers 1 through 4 and numbers 5 through 7 are wild card teams):

Detroit Lions: 13-2
Philadelphia Eagles: 12-3
Los Angeles Rams: 9-6
Atlanta Falcons: 8-7
Minnesota Vikings: 13-2
Green Bay Packers: 11-4
Washington Commanders: 10-5

On the hunt:

The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are both 8-7 and still have a shot in their division races and potentially the third wild card spot.

NFC teams that have secured the 2024 playoff spots

The Lions, Eagles, Vikings and Packers are in the playoff field.

Packers playoff scenarios

If the regular season ended today, the Packers would be the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs and would begin Super Wild Card Weekend with a game against the third-seeded Los Angeles Rams.

The Packers defeated the Rams 24-19 in Week 5 on October 6 at SoFi Stadium. This loss dropped the Rams to 1-4. Since then, Sean McVay’s team has won eight of the next 10 games, surpassing the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West.

The Rams are on a four-game winning streak heading into Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals. They end the season with the Seahawks. A Rams win in Week 17 and a Seattle loss at Chicago on Thursday night will decide the division for the Rams.

The Packers could move up to fifth place with wins in their last two games and Minnesota’s losses in their last two games. In this scenario, the Packers and Vikings would both be 13-4. If the Packers are the fifth seed, they still open the playoffs on the road against the NFC West champion or NFC South champion. The Atlanta Falcons currently lead the South after winning in Week 16 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing to the Dallas Cowboys. There is still a lot to decide between the Falcons and Bucs.

If the Packers win their next two games, they will be no worse than No. 6.

Can the Packers win the NFC North?

No. The Packers can’t win the NFC North. That means the Packers won’t be among the top four seeds, won’t host an opening-round playoff game, and will most likely have to play all of their playoff games on the road until an upset occurs.

The division and likely No. 1 seed in the playoffs goes to the Lions and Vikings.

Detroit holds the tiebreaker over the Packers, having clinched the two-game season series. Both the Lions and Vikings are determining their fate in the quest for the NFC North title. Two wins for both teams win the division.

The Lions and Vikings meet in Week 18 in a game that could decide the division and the No. 1 seed in the ultra-competitive NFC in 2024.

Packers 2024 schedule

The Packers will close the 2024 regular season with two division games. They play at the Vikings on Sunday in Week 17 and host the Bears in the finale, as they did last season. But unlike in 2023, when they had to win in Week 18 to make the playoffs, the Packers clinched a postseason berth two weeks earlier this season.

Packers at Vikings at US Bank Stadium: 3:25 p.m. Sunday, December 29th
Packers vs. Bears at Lambeau Field: Time TBD, Sunday, Jan. 5

Lions 2024 schedule

After suffering their first loss in three months against the Buffalo Bills a week earlier, the Lions bounced back with a win over the Bears in Week 16.

The Lions play the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” in Week 17 on Monday, December 30th before concluding the regular season at home against the Vikings on Sunday, January 5th.

Vikings 2024 schedule

No team is hotter than the Vikings. They bring an eight-game winning streak into Sunday’s Week 17 game against the Packers.

A win sets the stage for a battle for class victory against the Lions at the end of the regular season.

Commander plan 2024

The Commanders, who have a tiebreaker with the Packers, finish their season with the Falcons at home on “Sunday Night Football” and then travel to Dallas for a game against the Cowboys in Week 18.

Two Packers wins will keep them ahead of the Commanders, regardless of what Washington does in its final two games.

Staying away from the seventh seed means the Packers would avoid playing in the first round against the likely No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles, a team that beat the Packers in Week 1 of the regular season in Brazil. And if the Packers were then the No. 2 seed, they would face the top seed in the divisional round. That’s the path the Packers took in last year’s playoffs.

NFL playoff schedule

The NFL playoffs begin on Saturday, January 11th with three games to kick off Super Wild Card Weekend. Then there are three games on Sunday, January 12th, and one on Monday, January 13th.

Packers fans, that means you can mark your calendars for postseason football on one of these three days.

The No. 1 seeds in both conferences are the only playoff teams not playing on Wild Card Weekend. They receive byes for the divisional round.

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