The Green Bay Packers are in a very tough spot. We knew losing Micah Parsons in the same season in which they lost a young up-and-coming superstar tight end in Tucker Kraft was going to have some major consequences. The Pack haven’t won a game since Parsons went down with a season-ending torn ACL, though.

The Packers, after losing in Week 17 to the Baltimore Ravens, 41-24, are now 9-6-1 and they’re riding a three-game losing skid. They lost the game that Parsons went down in, against the Denver Broncos. They followed that up with a heartbreaking and inexplicable loss to the Chicago Bears, which basically cost them the NFC North.

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There wasn’t a ton to play for against the Ravens in the “battle of the backups” between Tyler Huntley and Malik Willis, but the Packers still did have the hope of perhaps still winning the NFC North in their hearts. At the very least, they were trying to keep it from the Bears.

That hope has been extinguished after the beat-down at the hands of the Ravens, though. That loss gave the Bears the division crown, which adds insult to injury.

More pressing for the Packers, though, is the fact that they haven’t won a game in almost a month.

They’re about to back in and literally limp into the NFL playoffs, and if they don’t take their Week 18 clash with the Minnesota Vikings seriously, they very well could enter the playoffs on a four-game losing skid.

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Making the playoffs is hard, and Matt LaFleur has done it in six out of his seven years as head coach in Green Bay.

The problem?

Winning the Super Bowl is hard, too, and that’s the expectation in Green Bay. It’s not called “Playoff Town”, it’s called “Title Town”, and LaFleur has yet to deliver another Lombardi Trophy to this proud organization.

The other problem? There are two things you need in every playoff run if you legitimately hope to win a Super Bowl. You have to be hot, and you have to be healthy.

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The Packers have neither.

That’s what makes this game against the Vikings such an intriguing matchup. Sure, there’s nothing on the line, but both of the above factors can and will be impacted.

LaFleur can choose to sit players like Josh Jacobs and Jordan Love (not to mention Zach Tom) for their long-term health in the playoffs, but will that kill the Packers’ chances of getting hot at the right time?

Going into the dance on a four-game skid is anything but momentum.

LaFleur could do the opposite and play those key players to try to pick up a win and at least finish 5-1 in the NFC North, but he could be risking the health of those players as well by going in that direction.

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Perhaps the best way to move forward is thread the needle and sit Love, Tom and Jacobs while hoping that Willis, right tackle Jordan Morgan and backup Emanuel Wilson can be good enough to beat the 8-8 Vikings.

In that situation, though, several star players could be entering the playoffs a bit rusty.

It’s a quandary, and it’s a position you don’t want to be in, but the Pack have unfortunately put themselves in this position.

Can they get out of it? Only time will tell.

Things aren’t looking good, though.

They both need to beat the Vikings and stay healthy. Lately, that seems like too much to ask.