The Green Bay Packers are 5-8 and entering Week 14 with a four percent chance of making the postseason, per FiveThirtyEight. Matt LaFleur’s team has a bye this week, so there’s nothing the Packers can do to help their chances.
But even if the Packers win out over the final four games, the slim path to the postseason requires help from the outside. And it has to start this week.
Green Bay is chasing three teams with seven wins (Giants, Seahawks, Commanders), and two of the three (Giants, Commanders) have both a tie on their record and the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Packers. The Lions are 5-7 but have one fewer loss and a head-to-head win over the Packers as well.
So here’s the quick rooting guide for Week 14:
– Panthers over Seahawks
– Eagles over Giants
– Vikings over Lions
– Buccaneers over 49ers
If the Packers get the first three results, the odds of making the playoffs jump to seven percent. It’s not a huge jump, but flip the results and the Packers would be all but eliminated coming out of the bye. If the Seahawks, Giants and Lions all win, the Packers chances of making the postseason would drop to around one percent, and any one slip-up – either by Green Bay or by the help – the rest of the way could end it.
The Buccaneers beating the 49ers (current NFC West leader) would keep San Francisco at only eight wins; the Packers can still get to nine. Someone has to win that division, but the Packers need the second place team to finish with fewer than nine wins.
Like the Packers, the Commanders and Falcons are also on a bye this week.
The Packers beat the Bears in Week 13 (eliminating Chicago from playoff contention) and will host the Los Angeles Rams coming out of the bye in Week 15.
Will Green Bay get some help this weekend and keep the door open on the postseason? Or will the Packers be all but eliminated come next week?
