NFL Week 12 overreactions: Chiefs stay alive, Cowboys shock Eagles
USA TODAY Sports’ Prince Grimes ‘overreacts’ to some of the best games from Sunday’s Week 12 slate.
The Green Bay Packers have qualified for the postseason in five of coach Matt LaFleur’s first six seasons with the squad. They are on pace to do so again in 2025.
The Packers enter play on Thanksgiving sitting at sixth place in the NFC. They are presently the No. 2 wild-card team but could jump into first place in the NFC North with a win over the Detroit Lions.
The Packers figure to be a pesky out in the postseason if they are able to make it in. Josh Jacobs helms a strong ground attack on offense while the acquisition of Micah Parsons has turned Green Bay’s defense from good to great, especially as Jeff Hafley has gotten more comfortable in his second season as the team’s defensive coordinator.
But will the Packers be able to make it into the postseason field? They will have to survive a tough end-of-season schedule to make that happen.
Here’s a look at Green Bay’s estimated playoff chances, their remaining schedule and a full look at the NFC North standings and playoff picture.
Packers playoff odds
The Packers enter Week 13 with an estimated 76% chance to make the playoffs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Green Bay’s chances match those of Detroit, despite the Packers being a half-game ahead of the Lions in the NFC North standings, and are notably better than the estimated 61% chance the Chicago Bears have of making the playoffs.
The Packers’ odds represent the tight nature of both the NFC North and NFC wild-card pictures. While Green Bay is presently favored to make it in, a Thanksgiving loss to Detroit could shift its outlook while a victory would drastically improve LaFleur’s chances of earning a sixth playoff appearance in seven seasons.
Packers remaining schedule
The greatest obstacle the Packers will get in seeking a third consecutive playoff appearance is their schedule, which ranks as the NFL’s hardest over the final six weeks of the season, per Tankathon. Green Bay’s remaining opponents enter Week 13 with a combined winning percentage of .636, and just one – the Minnesota Vikings – has a losing record.
Below is a look at the Packers’ remaining opponents for 2025:
Week 13: at Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving)Week 14: vs. Chicago BearsWeek 15: at Denver BroncosWeek 16: at Chicago BearsWeek 17: vs. Baltimore RavensWeek 18: at Minnesota VikingsNFC North standings
The Packers enter Week 13 in second place in the crowded NFC North. Green Bay could quickly move up or down a peg depending on what happens during the NFL’s Thanksgiving and Black Friday games for 2025.
Below is a look at the NFC North standings entering Week 13:
Chicago Bears (8-3)Green Bay Packers (7-3-1)Detroit Lions (7-4)Minnesota Vikings (4-7)
A Thanksgiving win over the Lions would allow the Packers to briefly leapfrog the Bears and remain alone in first place. Green Bay’s ability to stay there would then be predicated on Chicago’s result in its Black Friday game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, the Packers would be guaranteed to head into Week 14 in third place in the NFC North standings, as the Lions would leapfrog them. That will make Green Bay’s Thanksgiving tilt with Detroit pivotal.
Regardless of what happens against the Lions, the Packers will soon be presented more opportunities to gain ground on the Bears. The long-time rivals haven’t yet played in 2025 and will face off twice over a span of three weeks following Green Bay’s Thanksgiving game.
NFC playoff pictureLos Angeles Rams (9-2; NFC West leaders)Philadelphia Eagles (8-3; NFC East leaders)Chicago Bears (8-3; NFC North leaders)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5; NFC South leaders)Seattle Seahawks (8-3; wild card No. 1)Green Bay Packers (7-3-1; wild card No. 2)San Francisco 49ers (8-4; wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (7-4); Carolina Panthers (6-6); Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1); Atlanta Falcons (4-7); Minnesota Vikings (4-7); Arizona Cardinals (3-8); Washington Commanders (3-8); New Orleans Saints (2-9);
Eliminated: New York Giants (2-10).