UPDATE at 11:00 a.m. on Jan. 3: Coming off a dominant victory over the Minnesota Vikings and a loss for the Washington Commanders, the Green Bay Packers control their Playoff destiny in Week 18.
Although many teams will be resting starters, the Packers host the Detroit Lions for a ‘win and you’re in’ regular-season finale on Sunday night. The winners of four consecutive games, Green Bay faces a Lions team that defeated it 37-30 earlier this season.
Coming into the weekend, the Packers needed to emerge victorious from their meeting with the 12-win Vikings and see the Washington Commanders fall to the Cleveland Browns in order to stay alive in the Playoff race. Green Bay held superstar WR Justin Jefferson to one catch for 15 yards, dominated the turnover margin and rode Aaron Jones to 111 yards on the ground to secure their victory.
Green Bay will claim the seventh seed with a victory on Sunday Night Football. However, a Packers loss and a Seahawks win would push Seattle into the final Playoff spot. If Detroit wins and the Seahawks lose, the Lions will slide into the seventh seed in the NFC Playoff picture.
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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Although it hasn’t always been pretty, the Green Bay Packers have momentum heading toward the end of the regular season with a decent chance at reaching the playoffs as a Wild Card team.
Before their current three-game winning streak, the Packers had lost seven of their previous eight outings including games against the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders and New York Jets. At that point, hope appeared lost for a team that won 13 games a year prior.
Recent events have given the Green Bay Packers a chance to redeem themselves with home matchups against the rival Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
RELATED: Turnover margin turnaround has Packers back in playoff hunt
There are several scenarios in which the Packers can advance, capitalizing on what Five Thiry Eight estimates as a 27% chance of making the Playoffs.
Green Bay will be Playoff-bound if it wins both of its final games and the Washington Commanders lose one of their two matchups against the Dallas Cowboys or the Cleveland Browns — both of which are at home.
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Otherwise, the Packers can reach the postseason if they win both games and the New York Giants lose two consecutive games against the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles to close out their season.
If the Packers lose to the Vikings on Sunday afternoon, their postseason hopes are all but doomed, barring a complete meltdown from several NFC competitors.
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