The Green Bay Packers got some help during the bye week and are now entering Week 15 with renewed hope of a late playoff push over the final four weeks of the 2022 season. Is it a long shot? Of course. But the Packers have a real chance of making it happen if Matt LaFleur’s team can win out against the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
There’s an ominous flip side to all this: the Packers are also dangerously close to being eliminated.
In fact, there’s a scenario where the Packers can be eliminated from playoff contention before the team kicks off against the Dolphins in Miami on Christmas Day, and it only requires three results.
Here’s what would need to happen:
– Giants win over Commanders (Week 15)
– Rams win over Packers (Week 15)
– Commanders win over 49ers (Week 16)
OR
– Commanders win over Giants (Week 15)
– Rams win over Packers (Week 15)
– Giants win over Vikings (Week 16)
In either scenario, the Packers would have nine losses and a best-case scenario of 8-9, while both the Giants and Commanders would have eight wins and the tie, ensuring they would finish ahead of the Packers for the final two wild-card spots.
The Giants, Seahawks and Commanders all play on Christmas Eve, so the Packers will know precisely where they stand by Christmas Day.
If this nightmare scenario unfolds, and the necessary results arrive over the next nine days, the Packers will go into Christmas in Miami with nothing to play for and a season lost before kickoff in Week 16.
Talk about finding coal in your stocking.
