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Green Bay Packers face must-win situation against 49ers

By Brian Sampson

GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 30: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after missing a pass during the first quarter of a game against the Buffalo Bills at Lambeau Field on September 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 30: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after missing a pass during the first quarter of a game against the Buffalo Bills at Lambeau Field on September 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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The Green Bay Packers need to walk away from Lambeau Field on Monday night with a victory. Otherwise, their season is basically over.

Week 6 may seem extremely premature to be talking about must-win games, but that’s exactly what the Green Bay Packers have on Monday night. The Packers (2-2-1) will host the San Francisco 49ers (1-4) at Lambeau Field before heading into their bye.

The 49ers are dealing with a plethora of injuries including to “star” quarterback Jimmy Grappolo. Grappolo, who signed a massive deal in the offseason, tore his ACL a couple of weeks ago and is lost for the season. Also lost is any chance the 49ers had at making the playoffs.

Fortunately for the Packers, they still have a shot at the playoffs despite a poor showing throughout the first five weeks of the season. The Packers have been blown out on the road against Washington and Detroit while also tying Minnesota.

Although Green Bay only has one less win than the division leader Chicago Bears, the Packers schedule is about to turn on them. That means they absolutely have to come away with a victory on Monday night.

The Packers face the most difficult stretch of games for any team in the NFL from Week 9 to 13. Following their bye, they immediately hit the road at travel cross-country to Los Angeles to take on the undefeated Rams. Then, they head all the way to the East Coast to square up against 3-2 New England Patriots.

That’s brutal back-to-back games for the Pack, but they won’t have any time to recover. They get to go back to Lambeau to take on the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were supposed to be the Packers easy game in this stretch, but at 3-2 they look formidable as well.

Following one game at home, the Packers hit the road again, and do so quickly. They travel to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night football before wrapping up their brutal stretch at the Vikings.

During this five-game stretch, it’s completely logical to expect the Packers to go 1-4 given the way they’ve played on the road this season. However, 2-3 is much more likely.

If the Packers win on Monday night against the 49ers, they’ll be at 3-2-1. Then, if they go 2-3 during their brutal stretch, their record would sit at 5-5-1. That’s not good enough to get into the playoffs, but fortunately, the schedule turns for the better down the stretch.

With games at home against the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, as well as road games at the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, the Packers, have a good chance to go 4-1 and finish at 9-6-1. That will be extremely close to a playoff spot depending on how the rest of the NFC looks.

Even though 9-6-1 doesn’t sound very good, it might be the reality the Packers are facing in 2018. Regardless, the Packers need to beat the 49ers in order to make any of that possible. Monday night is a must-win game for Green Bay.

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