The Detroit Lions clinched the NFC North title last week, leaving the Green Bay Packers — and five other teams — competing for the final two wildcard spots in the NFC playoff field with two games to go.
While Matt LaFleur’s team can’t clinch a playoff spot in Week 17, the Packers can be officially eliminated from playoff contention in several different ways.
The Packers are actually one of 10 teams capable of being eliminated in Week 17.
According to nflplayoffscenarios.com, the Packers can be eliminated in four different ways this week:
— Packers loss AND Seahawks win/tie
— Packers loss AND Rams win/tie
— Packers loss AND Buccaneers tie AND Falcons win
— Packers tie AND Seahawks win AND Rams win
There’s a fifth scenario requiring a Packers loss and wins or ties from nine other games.
A win is the only way for the Packers to guarantee Week 18 means something.
The Seahawks host the Pittsburgh Steelers while the Rams go to New York to play the Giants on Sunday. Both the Seahawks and Rams — who are 8-7 and in possession of two wildcard spots — are favored to win this week.
The Packers are slight underdogs to the Vikings on “Sunday Night Football.”
The Packers won’t be the only team facing elimination in primetime: the Vikings can be eliminated with a loss to the Packers and wins or ties by the Rams AND Seahawks.
The beauty of playing in primetime on Sunday night is that the Packers and Vikings will know the results for the Seahawks, Rams, Falcons and Buccaneers earlier Sunday. And if those games fall a certain way, a de facto elimination game will turn into an actual elimination game for the Packers and Vikings.
The implications of Sunday night’s contest are clear. The winner will get a huge boost in their playoff odds and have a real, legitimate chance of claiming a wildcard spot in Week 18. The loser will be practically eliminated and could easily be officially eliminated from playoff contention entering the final week.