6 teams Packers need wins from in Week 17 to keep playoff hopes alive
This is now the fourth iteration of this column, which means…the Green Bay Packers’ playoff hopes are still alive!
Week 16 was a glorious one for Green Bay, as everything went their way including a victory of their own. According to FiveThirtyEight, those results tripled their playoff odds from eight percent entering the week to 27 percent.
However, the Packers don’t control their own destiny and still need help from other teams. Let’s check out six teams that need to win in Week 17 to keep the train moving in the right direction.
If the Green Bay Packers want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, they need these six teams to earn victories in Week 17.
Browns
Let’s start with the second most important one. The Washington Commanders must lose one of their final two games, starting this week against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland has been eliminated from playoff contention which removes some of their motivation. However, Deshaun Watson continues to get his feet under him and, hopefully, will continue to play better.
Colts
The Colts play the New York Giants this week. If Green Bay wants to make the playoffs and earn the sixth seed, they will need New York to lose its final two games. Indianapolis has been all over the place since Jeff Saturday took over as head coach, but maybe they can put a full game together.
Jets
Seattle is tied with Green Bay with a 7-8 record, but the Packers should hold the tie-breaker if both teams win out. Still, it would be helpful not to worry about tie-breakers. The Seahawks have been slipping the last few weeks and we wouldn’t mind seeing that continue.
Cowboys and Saints
These are two sneaky teams to watch, as Paul Bretl pointed out. The Packers may very well need one or both of Dallas and Philadelphia to win in Week 18. To ensure they are playing their hardest and not resting their guys, the Cowboys need to beat the Titans and the Saints need to beat the Eagles. That will ensure both teams have something to play for in Week 18. A loss by the Cowboys or a win by the Eagles likely means they’ll rest their main guys next week as the NFC East will be locked up.
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Packers
We saved the most important victory for last. Similar to the last three weeks, nothing else matters if Green Bay doesn’t take care of its own business. The Packers must win their final two games against the Vikings and the Lions to give themselves a real chance at making the playoffs. Green Bay’s playoff odds shoot to 62 percent if all of these results are achieved.