Packers Could Be Part of Amazing NFL Playoff Streak
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers could punch their ticket to the playoffs on Sunday.
In the simplest manner, the Packers would clinch a playoff spot if they beat Chicago at noon Sunday at Lambeau Field and the Los Angeles Rams lose or tie at Dallas at 3:25 p.m. The Packers also could get in if they tie the Bears and the Rams lose to the Cowboys.
“We put ourselves in pretty good position to be able to be one of those teams,” receiver Davante Adams said. “We control our destiny. We’ve just got to keep winning games. As long as we’re in, I don’t really care who gets in, how they do. If we get in, we’ve just got to take care of business.”
If the Packers (10-3) qualify for the playoffs, whether it’s this week or sometime in the final three weeks of the regular season, they will break a two-year playoff drought.
Meanwhile, the Bears (7-6), despite a three-game winning streak, are in danger of going from NFC North champions to out of the playoffs.
Green Bay’s potential return to the playoffs and Chicago’s potential elimination from the playoffs is part of a longtime NFL trend. Since the league went to its 12-team playoff format in 1990, at least four teams have gone from out of the playoffs one year to into the playoffs the next year. That’s a streak of 29 consecutive seasons, including last year, when seven of the 12 playoff teams missed the postseason the year before.
If the season were to end today, that streak would extend to 30 years. At the moment, there would be five new playoff teams compared to last year, with the Bills and Steelers replacing the Chargers and Colts in the AFC and the Packers, 49ers and Vikings replacing the Rams, Bears and Eagles in the NFC.
The Packers currently own the No. 2 seed, which would mean a first-round bye and a divisional-round home game. The Packers haven't had a playoff bye since 2014. Staying in that spot would greatly bolster their Super Bowl chances.
Video: A Look at the NFC Playoff Race
