GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are headed to the playoffs.
Now what?
Less than a week after Aaron Rodgers gave his former team an early Christmas present by leading the Steelers to a victory over the Detroit Lions, the rival Minnesota Vikings gave the Packers another present with their Christmas Day victory over the Lions.
Just like that, the Lions, who reached the NFC Championship Game in 2023 and finished an NFL-best 15-2 in 2024, are eliminated, and the Packers, who gave away last week’s win at Chicago to put their playoff hopes on thin ice, are headed to the postseason for a third consecutive season.
If it was incredible how the Packers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against the Bears, it was downright dumbfounding how the once-mighty Lions lost to a backup quarterback who finished with 3 net passing yards.
The Vikings forced six turnovers, including five by Lions quarterback Jared Goff, to win their fourth consecutive game. Whoever lines up at quarterback for Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium next week, the Vikings will pose a formidable test for the Packers.
Before turning their attention to Minnesota, there’s the not-so-small matter of how Packers coach Matt LaFleur should approach Saturday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Immediate Goal Should Be Getting Healthy
The big storyline all week has been at quarterback. The Packers’ Jordan Love suffered a concussion at Chicago. While he’s questionable on the final injury report, that he practiced all week would seem to indicate that he’ll be ready to roll. On the other hand, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson didn’t practice this week and is doubtful. If Love is trending toward starting, Jackson is trending toward sitting.
The injury report for the Ravens should be irrelevant, though. The only thing that matters for the Packers is getting ready for the playoffs.
Love, right tackle Zach Tom (knee/back) and safety Evan Williams (knee) are starters who are questionable due to injury. Running back Josh Jacobs has been playing through a knee injury for the last several weeks but is not on the final injury report. They are critical components of the Packers’ long-term prospects.
Tom probably wasn’t going to play – he hasn’t been on the field since injuring his knee against the Broncos – but what about the others?
If a player gets through the concussion protocol, he’s deemed to be fully past the head trauma. However, should the Packers be triple-sure and give their franchise quarterback the week off? That question perhaps is complicated by the status of backup quarterback Malik Willis’ throwing shoulder.
On the other hand, Jacobs and Williams almost certainly would be further ahead if they were held out of Saturday’s game.
“It’s unfortunate because I just keep getting hit on it,” Jacobs said on Wednesday. “It’s not like I’m coming out of these games clean and actually giving it a little bit of time. It’s like either once or twice a game I get hit right on the spot.”
For a team that already has lost Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft to season-ending injuries, getting healthy for the playoffs is critical.
Immediate Goal Should Be Momentum, Winning Division
This is not a meaningless game for the Packers. Far from it.
While they puked away a golden opportunity to take charge of the NFC North last week, they have a legitimate chance to win the division, anyway. If the Packers take care of business on Saturday and the red-hot 49ers keep rolling against the Bears, Green Bay would be a half-game out of first place heading into Week 18.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) catches a touchdown pass against the Chicago Bears. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Given how inept the Lions have looked down the stretch, it seems far-fetched to believe they can go into Soldier Field and upset Chicago in the finale. But who knows? Lions coach Dan Campbell isn’t likely to let his team roll over. His team had nothing to play for in the 2022 finale when it won at Lambeau Field to knock the Packers out of the playoff race.
For LaFleur, winning the NFC North is a prize worth pursuing until the bitter end. If the Packers can steal the division, there’s a decent chance of them earning the No. 2 seed because the Eagles are set to play at Buffalo on Sunday afternoon.
The No. 2 seed would host the No. 7 seed in the wild-card round. If it wins that game, it would host a game in the divisional round, as well, meaning two home games to get to the NFC Championship Game.
On the other hand, if the Packers back their way into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, they’d have to play at the No. 2 seed in the wild-card round – probably Chicago – before having to play at the No. 1 seed.
Beyond playoff seeding, there’s momentum to be gained. After falling apart in the second half at Denver and blowing the game at Chicago, the Packers have a chance to get rolling with victories over the Ravens and Vikings.
Last year, the Packers lost their final two regular-season games and barely were competitive in their playoff loss at the Eagles. The year before that, the Packers roared into the playoffs before demolishing Dallas in the wild-card round and almost upsetting San Francisco in the divisional round.
Momentum matters. It’s time to recapture it.
The Bottom Line
If I were LaFleur, I’d bet on Love – assuming he’s cleared, which is out of everyone’s hands – being the deciding factor on Saturday. Rest Jacobs and roll with Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks at running back. Rest Williams and roll with Javon Bullard at safety and Nate Hobbs in the slot. Rest Tom and go with Jordan Morgan.
Splitting the baby isn’t always the best course of action – it certainly wasn’t in last year’s Week 18 loss to the Bears – but it might be the way to go this week.
Let Love and his full-strength group of pass catchers try to outscore a Ravens offense led by backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, and try to get everybody else healthy. If the 49ers beat the Bears on Sunday night, then it’s full speed ahead with a full-strength lineup for Week 18 at the Vikings.
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