The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears to improve to 11-3 and officially clinched a playoff spot in Week 15.
Now, the Packers have bigger goals. Namely, winning the division and securing a first-round bye. But the ideal scenario is still available: the Packers have a conceivable path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Here’s the most plausible scenario:
– The Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 and Detroit Lions in Week 17
– The Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16
– The Seattle Seahawks beat the 49ers in Week 17
Another possible way: the Packers win out, the Arizona Cardinals beat the Seahawks in Week 16 and the Seahawks beat the 49ers in Week 17.
In either scenario, the Packers finish 13-3 and secure the No. 1 seed over the 12-4 NFC West champion. And even if the New Orleans Saints also finish 13-3, the Packers would have the conference record tiebreaker.
The No. 1 seed would guarantee a home playoff game at Lambeau Field in the NFC Divisional Round. And, if the Packers won, the NFC Championship Game would be played in Green Bay.
“It’s important to us to get as many games as we can in our own stadium,” coach Matt LaFleur said Monday, via the team’s official site.
LaFleur’s team is 7-1 at home this season.
The Packers will have to beat the odds. According to the New York Times playoff predictor, the Packers will enter Week 16 with a nine percent chance of securing the No. 1 seed.
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