Packers increase lead over rest of NFC in Week 15
The Green Bay Packers couldn’t have had a better Week 15 when it comes to the standings. Not only did they clinch their third straight NFC North division title, but they also took a full game lead over a plethora of NFC teams for the top spot in the conference.
Week 15 couldn’t have worked out any better for the Green and Gold. They survived and left Baltimore with the narrowest of victories over the Ravens. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shut out against the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals somehow lost to the Detroit Lions. The Packers were previously tied with both of those teams atop the standings.
At 11-3, Green Bay inched ahead of the pack (pun emphatically intended) to hold what could amount to a two-game lead over the rest of the NFC depending on which team would pull into a tie-breaker with the Packers. Of course, that depends on the Packers losing, because if they win out there is no need to worry about tie-breakers.
The Green Bay Packers were able to inch ahead of the rest of the NFC thanks to a victory over the Ravens and timely losses by their rivals.
Currently sitting behind Green Bay are a number of 10-4 squads. That list starts with the Dallas Cowboys and also includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals. Oh, and the Los Angeles Rams are sitting at 9-4 with a chance to move to 10-4 with a victory on Tuesday.
The good news is the Packers own the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Cardinals and Rams thanks to victories over them earlier in the season. They also own the tie-breaker (conference record) over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Where things could get sticky is with the Dallas Cowboys who would own the conference tie-breaker over Green Bay, especially if the Packers lose to either the Minnesota Vikings or Detroit Lions in the final two weeks.
The best part about all of this is that the Packers control their own destiny. They don’t have to scoreboard watch or worry about anybody else. They can simply focus on themselves and getting better each and every game.
They currently have an 82 percent chance to earn the top seed according to Playoffstatus.com. That number would rise to 89 percent with a victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, but fall to 50 percent with a loss.
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The Packers, or at least their offense, is clicking at just the right time. They need to find a way to get their special teams and defensive units back on track down the home stretch. If they do that, this could be a special season following a tumultuous offseason.