There are eight NFC teams vying for postseason football. Though Green Bay is One Of Them, The Packers Can Still Make the Playoffs With The Aid of These Two Teams.
In front of the Green Bay Packers is everything. Green Bay still has the opportunity to decide their postseason destiny after defeating the Panthers and leaving Carolina.
Green Bay’s strategy is straightforward: defeat the Vikings and let the Rams and Steelers handle the rest.
The Los Angeles Rams need to defeat the New York Giants in order to take care of business. The Giants will try to play spoiler because they are out of the postseason. Although New York has performed admirably under Tyrod Taylor, they seem unprepared for the Rams in this game.
The San Francisco 49ers and the Rams play a game in Week 18 that could decide a lot of things. The Rams would get into the playoffs if they defeat the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. In this scenario, their Week 18 game against the 49ers would only have an effect on playoff seedings. It is noteworthy that the Rams have not defeated the 49ers in the regular season since 2018.
The Rams find greater significance in the Seahawks’ matchup with the Steelers. Even though the Steelers have quarterback concerns, their matchup with Seattle may give them the advantage. The Steelers, who are vying for a postseason berth as well, might have found some much-needed motivation last week. For the first time since Week 11 of the 2021 season, Pittsburgh scored more than 30 points in a game during Mason Rudolph’s start against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s foolish to think Rudolph can repeat the kind of performance he showed against Cincinnati in Week 16. However, Rudolph was able to provide his skilled playmakers with enough production against the Bengals to raise hopes for the offensive line.
Against Cincinnati, the Steelers’ run game was also more successful. Pittsburgh is 5-3 this season when they rush for more than 100 yards as a unit. ESPN statistics show that Seattle’s defense has allowed an average of 129.6 yards per game. The Steelers can exploit this weakness. Pickens’s occasional big plays combined with Pittsburgh’s well-rounded rushing attack could make all the difference against the injured Seahawks defense.
A Steelers victory over the Seahawks would relieve Green Bay of one variable. If the Seahawks lose to Pittsburgh, their chances of making the playoffs are virtually gone, even if they defeat Arizona in Week 18. But the Packers have to prevail in order for this to matter. That begins with their Sunday night matchup with the Vikings.
The Vikings may start rookie Jaren Hall against Green Bay due to their own quarterback concerns. However, Minnesota is not necessarily at a disadvantage when playing Green Bay because they will be depending on a backup quarterback. Green Bay has struggled all season with replacement quarterbacks, from Tommy Devito to Desmond Ridder. Even though Minnesota is focused on the future, they are still competitive in the postseason.
The two key strategies for Green Bay against Minnesota are feeding Aaron Jones and slowing down Justin Jefferson. Leading Packers runner Jones has had injuries throughout the season. However, the offense is more varied and dynamic with him on the field. The Packers are 2-0 in the two games this season that Jones has had 20 or more carries. The Vikings have given up the ninth fewest rushing yards per game, according to ESPN stats. To stop opposing offenses, Minnesota also plays aggressive defense. It will be difficult for the Packers offense to overcome Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy scheme, despite the fact that he has proven to be one of the best coaching hires of the season.
The Packers’ chances of making the playoffs are pretty much over if they lose on Sunday. However, Green Bay should have plenty of motivation when they play the Vikings on Sunday night if the Rams can handle business and the Steelers upset the Seahawks.
