Packers’ Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 17

Packers’ Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 170 of 3

Jordan LoveDavid Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers have been through some ups and downs this season, but they enter Week 17 with playoff hopes intact.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Packers have an opportunity this week to keep their hopes alive. Green Bay has a 25 percent chance to make the postseason, but that probability goes up to 55 percent if the Packers can beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.

If the Packers lose to the Vikings then those odds shift down to one percent and they are essentially eliminated.

However, there are still a few contests that Packers fans should have their eyes on as they wait for the critical Sunday night game.

Here are three results the Packers need to improve their odds and seeding potential.

Bears over Falcons1 of 3

Justin Fields and Khalil HerbertMichael Reaves/Getty Images

Rooting for the Bears is not something any Packers fan really wants to do, but it’s for a good cause in this case. The Falcons and Packers both sit at 7-8 going into the weekend so a loss for the Falcons here would essentially eliminate another wildcard contender.

The Bears are already out of the playoff race. But they still have a reason to play hard because their hopes of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft lie with the Carolina Panthers continuing to be the league’s worst team. They have their first-round pick.

The Falcons looked like they were going to self-destruct up until last week. They had lost back-to-back crucial NFC South games, including a 9-7 loss to the Panthers who earned just their second win of the season.

Then they made the switch back from Desmond Ridder at starting quarterback to Taylor Heinicke and it seems to have revived them. They won 29-10 over the Indianapolis Colts and are now just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division with two weeks left.

They are also another potential wildcard team that sits at 7-8. That makes them an enemy of the Packers this week and gives enough justification for the Packers to root for their NFC North rival.

Giants over Rams2 of 3

Tommy DeVito hands off to Saquon BarkleyAdam Hunger/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles are still competing to win the NFC East and earn at least one home game in the playoffs, but the winner pretty much has the fifth seed wrapped up.

The Cowboys are 10-5, giving them at least a two-game lead over the rest of the teams in the wildcard race.

That leaves a group of about six teams competing for the final two spots with the Packers a game behind both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

Unfortunately for the Packers and the rest of those teams, the Rams don’t draw the toughest of assignments. They are going to be left hoping that the New York Giants can pull off an upset and bring the Rams back to the pack.

A loss for the Giants would really damage their hopes of getting a top-five draft pick.

To make matters worse, the Rams have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the league. They have won five of their last six games and the only loss was to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime.

Even with Tyrod Taylor getting the starting nod, the Giants are a real longshot to help out the Packers.

Steelers over Seahawks3 of 3

Mason RudolphJoe Sargent/Getty Images

Of the two NFC West teams that currently occupy the two remaining wildcard seeds, the Seattle Seahawks are the more vulnerable one on paper. They will host a Pittsburgh Steelers team that will be trying to keep its own slim playoff hopes alive.

The Steelers stayed in the game last week with a 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The offense looked better than it has all season with Mason Rudolph at the helm, so they might have found something that can help the unit finish the season strong.

Kenny Pickett has been out with an ankle injury and Mitchell Trubisky struggled to replace him. Pickett continues to work toward being cleared, but Rudolph is in line to play on Sunday which could actually be good news for those hoping the Steelers win.

The Seahawks haven’t been nearly as consistent as the Rams of late. They have won back-to-back 20-17 games against the Eagles and Titans, but the pair of wins snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Steelers defense will be vital in this one. The unit was strong early in the season, but really struggled for a few weeks giving up three touchdowns to a hapless New England offense before allowing 30 to Gardner Minshew and the Colts.

They were back to their old ways against the Bengals last week. However, stopping the trio of D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a tall task.