Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) celebrates with wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears Sunday.
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The Green Bay Packers began Sunday as the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
By 6:30 p.m. CST, the Packers had jumped to the No. 2 seed in the conference.
That’s life in the NFC, where the gap between the top teams is razor thin.
Green Bay defeated visiting Chicago, 28-21, and moved into first place in the NFC North. It was the Packers’ 12th win over the Bears in the last 13 meetings.
The Packers improved to 9-3-1, won their fourth straight game and are just ½-game behind the conference leading Los Angeles Rams (10-3).
“It means nothing right now,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said of the Packers’ place in the NFC pecking order. “I mean, it means a lot but there’s four weeks left and you’ve got to take it day by day.
“You’ve got to really embrace that grind, embrace the challenge. It’s not going to be easy from here on out. We’ve got a great test in Denver coming up (next week). Our guys really got to push and try to find any competitive advantage that we can get in order to go there, on the road, against a really quality opponent and find a way to get a win.”
Green Bay was the NFC’s No. 1 seed in both 2020 and 2021, but dropped home playoff games each season. The Packers would love nothing more than to host playoff games at Lambeau Field and try reaching their first Super Bowl since 2010, but that won’t be easy.
Green Bay’s remaining four opponents are a combined 31-21 for a win percentage of .596. That’s the second-best best percentage among NFC teams that would currently be in the postseason.
“Obviously, we’ve still got a couple weeks left here, but it’s all about finishing,” Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love said. “We’re here, we’ve been here before, but we’ve got to finish it.
“So, it doesn’t really mean anything right now but tonight was a huge win and going in the right direction going forward. But, like I said, we’ve still got a couple more weeks here, so we’ve got to keep stacking.”
Here’s a look at the NFC playoff picture with remaining strength of schedule.
1. Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
Schedule: vs. Detroit (8-5), at Seattle (10-3), at Atlanta (4-9), vs. Arizona (3-10)
Opponent’s record: 25-27
Opponent’s win percentage: .481.
Summary: The Rams jumped into the No. 1 seed when the Bears lost to Green Bay.
2. Green Bay (9-3-1)
Schedule: at Denver (11-2), at Chicago (9-4), vs. Baltimore (6-7), at Minnesota (5-8).
Opponent’s record: 31-21.
Opponent’s win percentage: .596.
Summary: The Packers next two games — both on the road and against two of the top teams in football — will be a daunting challenge.
3. Philadelphia (8-4)
Schedule: at Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), vs. Las Vegas (2-10), at Washington (3-9), at Buffalo (8-4), vs. Washington (3-9).
Opponent’s record: 24-36.
Opponent’s win percentage: .400.
Summary: Of the seven teams currently in the playoffs, the Eagles have the easiest remaining schedule.
4. Tampa Bay (7-6)
Schedule: vs. Atlanta (4-9), at Carolina (7-6), at Miami (6-7), vs. Carolina (7-6)
Opponent’s record: 24-28
Opponent’s win percentage: .462
Summary: The Buccaneers’ two games against the Panthers will likely decide the NFC South race.
5. Seattle (10-3)
Schedule: vs. Indianapolis (8-5), vs. Los Angeles Rams (10-3), at Carolina (7-6), at San Francisco (9-4)
Opponent’s record: 34-18
Opponent’s win percentage: .654.
Summary: The Seahawks’ have the toughest remaining schedule among current playoff teams.
6. San Francisco (9-4)
Schedule: vs. Tennessee (2-11), at Indianapolis (8-5), vs. Chicago (9-4), vs. Seattle (10-3).
Opponent’s record: 29-23
Opponent’s win percentage: .558.
Summary: The 49ers had a bye this week and should be poised to make a run at the NFC West crown.
7. Chicago (9-4)
Schedule: vs. Cleveland (3-10), vs. Green Bay (9-3-1), at San Francisco (9-4), vs. Detroit (8-5).
Opponent’s record: 29-22-1
Opponent’s win percentage: .567.
Summary: The Bears have the third hardest remaining schedule among current playoff teams.
8. Detroit (8-5)
Schedule: at Los Angeles Rams (10-3), vs. Pittsburgh (7-6), at Minnesota (5-8), at Chicago (9-4).
Opponent’s record: 31-21
Opponent’s win percentage: .596.
Summary: The Lions, the No. 1 seed in the NFC last season, kept their season alive with a big win over Dallas on Thursday.
9. Carolina (7-6)
Schedule: at New Orleans (3-10), vs. Tampa Bay (7-6), vs. Seattle (10-3), at Tampa Bay (7-6).
Opponent’s record: 27-25
Opponent’s win percentage: .519.
Summary: The Panthers are trying to make the postseason for the first time since 2017.
10. Dallas (6-6-1)
Schedule: vs. Minnesota (5-8), vs. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), at Washington (3-10), at New York Giants (2-11).
Opponent’s record: 18-33.
Opponent’s win percentage: .353.
Summary: The Cowboys have an extremely soft schedule, but may have dug themselves too deep of a hole.
