The Green Bay Packers are officially in the playoffs! And since the Packers chances of winning the North are over with, does that mean they have nothing left to play for the rest of the season? Should they just rest their players for a playoff run?
The answer to this question is simply no. The Packers still have a ton to play for as they head into Minnesota to face off against the Vikings. Seeding matters more this year than it probably has in the past. The fifth seed is significantly better than the sixth seed and obviously better than the seventh seed. The fifth, sixth, and seventh seed are all still possible for Green Bay as of Sunday morning.
Let’s go over each seed, how the Packers earn that position, and what it means for the playoffs:
Seventh Seed In The Playoffs
The Packers fall into the seventh seed by losing at least one more game while the Commanders win both of their remaining games. This would be the least desirable seeding position for Green Bay, obviously.
This more than likely would force Green Bay to face off against the Eagles in the wildcard round, then they would have to face off against the Lions or Vikings in the divisional round and championship round. Oh, and all of this would be on the road.
It could be done. The Packers have proven in the past that taking the hard path to the Super Bowl is doable, just not advisable.
How about the sixth seed?
The Sixth Seed
This seed, based on probability, is the most likely scenario for the Green and Gold. There are, from what I can tell, three ways the Packers can get the sixth seed.
1. The Packers win out but the Vikings beat the Lions in week 18.
2. The Packers win just one more game, and the Commanders lose one game.
3. Green Bay doesn’t win another game, but neither do the Commanders. Interestingly enough, this could possibly eliminate the Commanders from the playoffs, allowing for the Buccaneers to take the seventh if they were to win out.
But I digress. This seeding would have the Packers face off against the third seed, which as of this writing could be either the Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, or Buccaneers.
Even though they would be on the road, these matchups would favor the Packers. The Rams would be the most difficult but would still be winnable. Who the Packers play in the divisional round would depend on the seventh seed (Commanders?) versus the Eagles. If the Eagles win, the Packers would go to Detroit. However, if the Commanders win (which is possible), then Green Bay would play the winner of the Vikings versus the NFC South winner (most likely Vikings) at their place.
There is a scenario here where Green Bay could host the NFC Championship game. If the Commanders beat the Eagles, go on to upset the Lions, and then the Packers win in the wildcard round and the divisional round, then Green Bay would host the Commanders in the NFC Championship game. That would be beautiful!
The Fifth Seed… The Most Important Seed in the NFC Playoffs?
Bold Prediction! I can truly see this happening: every road team in the wildcard round of the NFC playoffs will win their matchups. Let’s play out this scenario with the Packers as the fifth seed.
So, the Packers won the fifth seed. They had to win out and the Vikings lost to the Lions in the final week of the regular season. This is why I believe the fifth seed is the most important seed in the NFC playoffs – other than that first seed. All of the wildcard teams: the Packers, the Vikings, and the Commanders, are dangerous. They’re honestly probably more dangerous than the divisional winners, other than the Lions. Other than a Commanders at Eagles seventh seed versus second seed matchup, the wildcard teams will be favored to win.
Even then, the Commanders and Eagles game could go either way. Let’s say the NFC Playoffs look like this:
The Packers would be favored to win against the Falcons while the Vikings would be favored against the Rams. The Commanders and Eagles game could be a tossup and the Commanders could be favored if Jalen Hurts’ concussion is still lingering. This is why my bold prediction is possible. Those road teams are really good.
Best Case Scenario
Those road teams winning in this scenario would be the best case scenario because the team that holds the fifth seed would find themselves hosting the divisional round game, which would be huge! In this case, the Vikings would go to Green Bay while Washington would go to Detroit. And with Detroit’s injuries, the Commanders could upset the Lions.
There is a chance, in this scenario, that Green Bay could host the Divisional Round and the Championship round. That is why the fifth seed is almost just as good as the first seed in this year’s playoffs. They could just as well host the divisional round and the championship round due to the fact the wildcard teams are probably just that much better than the divisional winners.
But of course, all of this is a moot point if the Packers lose to the Vikings later today. So as always…
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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The post Playoffs! Why Seeding Matters More This Year For The Packers first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.