Thank you Vikings! Win Saturday night and see what the Bears do.
I didn’t expect to be writing a news report at dinner time on Christmas Eve, but I’m not complaining.
Andrew from Brownsburg, IN
Thanks to the Vikings for the Christmas present! Does this change how the Packers approach Saturday’s game?
I don’t think so. As long as there’s still a chance to win the NFC North, I think the Packers need to play to win. The opportunity to be seeded #2 or 3 versus #5 or lower is significant, in my opinion.
It’s not the Christmas present I asked for, but I’ll take it. Obviously the North is still in play now, but maybe rest some guys in week 18 if the results don’t go our way. Is this a possibility?
I think it’s a matter of seeing the possibilities based on the Week 17 results and seeing what the team’s health will look like in the middle of next week after the players go three straight days without practice (Sunday through Tuesday). For now, the Packers’ division title hopes are alive, so just beat the Ravens.
Hey Mike, what is the best case scenario for the Packers? A win and a loss for the Bears keeping hopes of a division title alive, or a finish to Week 17 locked in on the No. 7 seed allowing rest and recovery for key players from Week 18?
I’d love to enter Week 18 with a chance to win the division and the No. 2 seed, which is possible if the Packers win and the Bears lose, and it looks even better if the Eagles lose this week as well. The second seed gets you two home playoff games if you win the first one. But again, beat the Ravens.
Hello, Insiders. In honor of the Festivus, I left aside the decorations and put only one thing on the table: grievances. Mainly about injuries, Week 16, and why every game feels like feats of strength. That said, the season advances, the inbox endures, and Festivus remains for all of us.
My kind of vacation. In all sincerity, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.
Paul from Los Angeles, California
ATMRWCBW, LaFleur has never lost three regular season games in a row. With all the current issues, I don’t expect that to change this week.
I hope you are right in the summary, but your research is completely wrong. The Packers lost five straight in ’22 and four straight in ’23.
Andrew from Kannapolis, North Carolina
I was reviewing the schedule and I think I figured out the Packers’ plan. Win two, lose two. Win three, lose two. Win four, lose two. Win five. It is very important in this plan that the losses are so great that people are distracted from the genius planning the project. Merry Christmas.
Happy Boxing Day II and readers… can we put the “hard to beat a team three times in a season” myth to rest? In other words, it IS hard to beat a team three times in a season, but just because you’ve turned heads twice doesn’t make it more likely that the third toss will be heads. Since 1970 in the NFL, if a team has already won both regular season games, that team has a 15-9 record in the playoffs. So, unfortunately, there is no glimmer of hope in last week’s defeat. Beat Baltimore.
One of those 15 is the Packers at the Buccaneers in 1997. One of those nine is the Vikings at the Packers in 2004.
At the start of the season, who would have thought that with one intra-division game remaining, the Lions would be 1-4. Plus, if they finish tied with the Vikings, they’ll get a last-place finish next season. Anyway, thank you Vikings for this great Christmas present. It was everything I wanted.
I’ll have to do some research to find out how many times in the current playoff structure, the previous year’s #1 seed didn’t even qualify for the next season’s playoffs. This shows how difficult it is to win consistently in this league.
What happened to the Lions this year? It can’t be as simple as losing two coordinators. Anyway, go Pack, go! Playoffs linked! Merry Christmas!
Losing both coordinators is no small feat, especially with a first-place schedule staring you in the face. A few years ago, the Eagles experienced the same thing (Steichen vs. the Colts, Gannon vs. the Cardinals) after losing the Super Bowl to the Chiefs. They collapsed at the end of the next season, bowed out in the first round of the playoffs, then came back to win it all. I’m not saying Leos will do the same, but write them off at your own risk.
This week’s Bears/49ers matchup is the result of their fourth-place finish last season in their respective divisions. A year later, potentially the top two seeds in the NFC. The “drama” never stops.
You never know in this league. The 49ers have not held first place in their own division since the schedule began in November, but if they win their final two games, they will become the No. 1 seed in the entire NFC.
When I look at Matt LaFleur on the podium this week, I don’t see a man overly concerned about QB availability.
So far, all signs are pointing in positive directions with Jordan Love. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.
I don’t think we’re getting anywhere with jet sweeps or final turns or whatever they’re called these days. I think I saw four against the Bears and the biggest gain was only 3 or 4 yards. It appears that defenses are very prepared to deal with it. Is Coach LaFleur only calling them to set up other plays?
No, he’s calling them because they’re hoping to get production, but they’re also being used to set up other calls.
I’m happy to hear that the coach is feeling festive so the players can celebrate with their family/friends. Maybe Saturday’s game will go better than Halloween’s.
What kind of dirt gets through the locker room? Cold/flu or maybe Covid?
I don’t know, but it was disturbing to see “illness” added to the injury report for Sean Rhyan and Christian Watson on Thursday.
