That’s right. The Green Bay Packers are still alive for the playoffs. Of course, technically, so are the 3-9 Atlanta Falcons, so… yeah.
In any case, there’s really only one realistic way the Packers can make the playoffs. They have to win the NFC North. That means they have to leapfrog both the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.
The Packers are a game and a half behind Detroit (7-5) for the division lead and a half game behind Chicago (6-6) at 5-6-1. So, if the Packers win their remaining four games, then Detroit would have to lose two of theirs and the Bears would have to lose one.
Well, what about a wild card, you say?
Virtually impossible.
The wild cards are currently held by the Carolina Panthers at 9-3 and the San Francisco 49ers at 8-4.
If there’s any good news here, the Packers have what look like some winnable games down the stretch.
They play Atlanta (3-9), at Dallas (7-5), Pittsburgh (5-7) and at Chicago (6-6).
If Aaron Rodgers plays, Dallas is the only game that looks tough.
Detroit plays at Philadelphia (7-5), Baltimore (6-6), the New York Giants (5-7) and at Minnesota (3-8-1).
Chicago plays Dallas (7-5), at Cleveland (4-8), at Philadelphia (7-5) and Green Bay (5-6-1).
Obviously, if the Packers don’t win on Sunday, they might as well pack it in. And, looking at Detroit’s remaining schedule, if they beat Philadelphia on Sunday, the Packers can probably pack it in as well.
As Jim Mora would say… playoffs!? Playoffs!?