The Green Bay Packers came back from 10 points down to beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The win improved Green Bay’s record to 7-8 after 15 games and kept the door wide open for a run to the postseason over the final two games.
Buy Packers TicketsWhat did the 26-20 win in Miami do for the Packers’ playoff hopes? A lot, especially after getting help on Saturday.
Combined with the losses by the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants and Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve, the Packers now have an increasingly feasible path to the postseason.
The most likely path requires home wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions and a tiny bit of help over the final two games. But if the Packers win both games and get to 9-8, the team’s chances of making the postseason skyrocket.
The New York Times gives the Packers an 87 percent chance of making the playoffs with wins over the Vikings and Lions. FiveThirtyEight’s prediction machine gives the Packers a 90 percent chance at 9-8.
Two wins by the Packers and one more loss by the Commanders or two by the Giants would be enough to get Green Bay into the postseason. The Panthers and Lions no longer factor into the scenario should the Packers win both remaining games.
The Packers hit a fork in the road on Christmas but found the winning path. A loss in Miami would have put the Packers on the brink of elimination and severely complicated the path forward, but the win over the Dolphins will inject real life into the team’s playoff hopes entering the stretch run.
The Packers have won three straight games and received almost all the necessary help to get into this position. Now, LaFleur’s team is close to controlling its own destiny. Win two more games to stretch the win streak to five, and the Packers are likely headed to the postseason.
