5 teams Packers need wins from in Week 15 to keep playoff hopes alive
The Green Bay Packers received some help in their playoff push last week while they were on their bye.
We reviewed four teams they needed help from last week, and two earned victories. The Carolina Panthers took down the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants. According to FiveThirtyEight’s NFL Prediction Tool, that moved the Packers’ playoff chances from four percent to a whopping six percent.
I will continue using that tool to outline five teams who need to win in Week 15 for the Packers to keep their playoff hopes alive.
If the Green Bay Packers want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need these five teams to earn victories in Week 15.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ arrow is pointing straight up and Packers’ fans need to embrace it. They play at Seattle this week, and Green Bay needs Seattle to continue plummeting in the standings. At 7-6, there’s an outside chance the Seahawks could lose more games than they win the rest of the season and allow the Packers to catch them. A 49ers win clinches the NFC West and increases Green Bay’s playoff odds by two percent.
New York Jets
The Jets face the Detroit Lions this week. Detroit is coming off a big victory over the Minnesota Vikings and are true playoff contenders. Considering the Lions are only one game ahead of the Packers with one game remaining against them, they are the least important team to lose on this list. Still, a loss would add one percent to the Packers’ playoff odds.
Washington Commanders
Washington and the New York Giants play this week; it doesn’t matter who wins or loses. They have similar schedules the rest of the way: Washington plays at San Francisco, vs Cleveland and vs Dallas after this week. New York plays at Minnesota, vs Indianapolis and at Philadelphia. I predict the Eagles will have the top seed locked up in Week 18 and won’t make the game competitive. A win by either team doesn’t affect Green Bay’s playoff chances this week, but will have long-term implications.
Pittsburgh Steelers
At 5-8, the Panthers are tied with the Packers in the standings and take on the Steelers. Green Bay should be able to pass them if they win out, but we don’t want to leave anything to chance.
Next. Packers need stars to come out for playoff push. dark
Green Bay Packers
The most important part of the equation is a Packers win. Nothing else matters if Green Bay doesn’t run the table. They will improve their odds by two percent if they beat the Los Angeles Rams this week. If all of the needed teams win this week, Green Bay’s playoff odds more than double to 13 percent. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s a start.