5 Questions with LeRoy Butler: What has happened to Packers offense?
LeRoy Butler has a suggestion for coach Matt LaFleur: Let everyone know this is quarterback Jordan Love’s team, give him more control of the offense.
The Green Bay Packers will head into their battle with the New York Giants on Nov. 16 as a playoff team … but just barely.
The tightly packed NFC playoff picture means the Packers went from the No. 1 team in the conference before the start of the Carolina Panthers game Nov. 2 to the “last team in” just more than a week later, following losses to both Carolina and Philadelphia.
Here’s a look at where the 5-3-1 Packers fall:
Would the Packers be in the NFL playoffs if the season ended today?
Yes, Green Bay’s 5-3-1 record makes it the No. 7 seed in the NFC, slightly ahead of San Francisco (6-4) for the final spot.
Who would the Packers play in the NFL playoffs if the season ended today?
Green Bay would visit the Seattle Seahawks (7-2) in the wild-card round of the postseason. You just twitched involuntarily, didn’t you?
Who are the teams in the NFC playoff picture?Philadelphia (7-2) holds the one-seed and a tentative tiebreaker over the Seahawks (7-2) and Los Angeles Rams (7-2).Seattle (7-2) owns the tentative tiebreaker over the Rams (7-2) for the No. 2 seed because of win percentage in division games. That gives Seattle the No. 2 seed and control of the AFC West, while the Rams fall back into a wild card.Detroit (6-3) leads the NFC North and has a tiebreaker over Tampa Bay based on head-to-head win percentage, giving the Lions the No. 3 seed. They’d face the Chicago Bears in this scenario.Tampa Bay (6-3) leads the NFC South and would have the No. 4 seed and would face the Rams.The Rams (7-2) get bumped all the way to No. 5 because they aren’t technically leading a division, so they’re the top wild-card team, for now.Chicago (6-3) has a narrow lead over the Packers for the No. 6 spot.Who are the other teams chasing the Packers?
Green Bay is narrowly ahead of San Francisco (6-4) and still has to think about teams like Carolina (5-5), Minnesota (4-5) and even Dallas (3-5-1).
How tough is Green Bay’s remaining schedule?
The Packers have the ninth-toughest remaining strength of schedule, with opponents that have a combined win percentage of .541.
The good news is that Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and Seattle all have tougher remaining schedules, and Carolina has the toughest of all.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tampa Bay (.447) has one of the five easiest remaining schedules. San Francisco (.492) and Philadelphia (.487) are in the middle.
What are the NFC standings?Philadelphia, 7-2 (NFC East leader)Seattle, 7-2 (NFC West leader)Detroit, 6-3 (NFC North leader)Tampa Bay, 6-3 (NFC South leader)Los Angeles Rams, 7-2Chicago, 6-3Green Bay, 5-3-1San Francisco, 6-4Carolina, 5-5Minnesota, 4-5Dallas, 3-5-1Arizona, 3-6Atlanta, 3-6Washington, 3-7New Orleans, 2-8New York Giants, 2-8Who’s left on Green Bay’s schedule?
The Packers have the struggling Giants next but then no more teams that are truly having a bad year. The Vikings (4-5) are a division opponent fighting for a playoff spot and the Baltimore Ravens (4-5) have won three straight games. Oh, and quarterback Lamar Jackson is now healthy.
Nov. 16 at Giants (2-8)Nov. 23 vs. Vikings (4-5)Nov. 27 at Lions (6-3)Dec. 7 vs. Bears (6-3)Dec. 14 at Broncos (8-2)Week 16 at Bears (6-3)Week 17 vs. Ravens (4-5)Week 18 at Vikings (4-5)What are the key tiebreakers to follow for the Packers?
Green Bay’s tie to Dallas essentially negates most tiebreakers, unless it involves an unlikely head-to-head comparison with the Cowboys. Green Bay will, most likely, either have a better or worse mark than teams on record alone.