Saturday’s win over the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s results around the NFC – specifically the losses by the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams – really simplified the Green Bay Packers’ path to the No. 1 seed in the conference.
The Packers (11-3) can now clinch the top spot in one of three rather straightforward ways over the final two weeks of the 2020 season:
1. Win over Chicago Bears in Week 17
2. Win over Tennessee Titans in Week 16 AND Los Angeles Rams win over Seattle Seahawks in Week 16
3. Win over Tennessee Titans in Week 16 AND San Francisco 49ers win over Seattle Seahawks in Week 17
Ways exist for the Packers to lose both games and still be the No. 1 seed, but the scenarios involve many different results and are somewhat impractical to consider.
Of course, the Packers can win out and guarantee the No. 1 seed. All teams in the NFC besides the Packers currently have at least four losses.
In scenarios where the Packers beat the Titans but lose to the Bears, Matt LaFleur’s team needs at least one loss by the Seahawks to ensure there’s no three-way tie.
According to the New York Times playoff simulator, the Packers now have an 82 percent chance of being the No. 1 seed.
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