The Green Bay Packers enter their bye week with a 6-3 record after Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
Matt LaFleur’s team currently has a playoff spot in the NFC heading into Week 10, but the Packers have plenty of work to do amid a tight schedule in the second half of the season.
If the season ended today, the Packers would be the No. 7 seed in the NFC and would face top-ranked Washington in the NFC East on the road in the NFC Wild Card round.
Here’s a quick look at the rankings for the bye week:
NFC playoff standings
1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
2. Washington Commanders (7-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
Remaining rivals: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4), Chicago Bears (4-4), Los Angeles Rams (4-4), San Francisco 49ers (4-4), Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
The Packers have already lost to three teams ahead of them in the NFC playoff race and are 2-3 overall in the conference, complicating their path to moving up the rankings. However, LaFleur’s team still has playoff games against the Lions and Vikings, and last year’s team won in both Detroit and Minneapolis. If the Packers can’t catch fire and catch the Lions, their most likely entry into the postseason will be an away playoff game in the wild-card round.
NFC North standings
1. Detroit Lions (7-1 overall, 2-0 with division)
2. Minnesota Vikings (6-2 overall, 1-1 vs. division)
3. Green Bay Packers (6-3 overall, 0-2 vs. division)
4. Chicago Bears (4-4 overall, 0-0 with division)
There’s still a lot left to play in the NFC North this season. Only six of the 24 matchups between division rivals were played in Week 9. The Packers have dug themselves quite a hole, especially considering the two division losses they both suffered at home to top contenders. LaFleur’s team will hit the road to play the Bears in their first game after their bye game on November 17, with a rematch against the Lions in Detroit on December 5. Can the Lions make it to the rankings?
Remaining packers schedule
Week 11: at Chicago Bears (4-4)
Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins (2-6)
Week 14: at Detroit Lions (7-1)
Week 15: at Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
Week 16: vs. New Orleans Saints (2-7)
Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
Week 18: vs. Chicago Bears (4-4)
