Packers Remain No. 1 in NFC with Two Games Remaining
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers, who have an NFL-best 12-3 record, will close the regular season with two games against teams with losing records. So long as the Packers take care of their business, they’ll win the coveted No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
It won’t be easy, though. On Sunday night, the Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have won the last two in the series and will be fighting for their playoff lives. The Packers will close the regular season the following week at the Detroit Lions. The Lions have only two wins but have shown their fangs their last seven games with two wins, three losses by a combined nine points and one tie. One of those wins was the upset of the NFL season, a 30-12 smackdown of the Arizona Cardinals at Ford Field.
Green Bay can’t afford to stumble. The Dallas Cowboys (11-4) are one game behind in the standings. If those teams finish in a tie, the Cowboys will win the No. 1 seed based on the better conference record.
The Cowboys bounced back from back-to-back losses against the Chiefs and Raiders by winning four straight. On Sunday night, they crushed Washington 56-14. In three quarters, Dak Prescott threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys piled up 497 yards.
With the Cardinals dropping two straight, the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) have moved into first place in the NFC West and third place in the conference race. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4), with two on-paper gimmes to close the season, are in fourth place.
The No. 1 seed is a big deal. It comes with the only bye – a week to get healthy and a free pass into the divisional round – and homefield advantage. The Packers are the only team in the NFL with an unblemished home record.
The Packers, of course, lost at home to Tampa Bay in last year’s NFC title game. Because of COVID, the official attendance for that game was 7,772. There would be more than 10 times that many fans for home playoff games this year.
“I think right now there’s a lot of ball left in front of us, and if we look any further than the Minnesota Vikings, a team that has beaten us the last two times we’ve played them, then we’re not focused on the right things,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “As far as the home field’s concerned, I do think it’s going to be a tremendous advantage. You’re talking about a year that’s totally different with packed stadiums. I thought our crowd did an outstanding job the other night of being loud and really supporting our team, and that brings a lot of energy – a lot of positive energy – and I think it definitely translates to success on the field.”
Here are the finishing schedules for the top four in the NFC race. On paper, Dallas faces the toughest schedule and Green Bay and Tampa Bay will tackle the easiest schedules.
1. Green Bay Packers (12-3)
Record vs. NFC: 8-2. Remaining Schedule: vs. Minnesota (7-8), at Detroit (2-12-1). Combined Record: 9-20-1. Home-Away: 1-1.
2. Dallas Cowboys (11-4)
Record vs. NFC: 9-1. Remaining Schedule: vs. Arizona (10-5), at Philadelphia (8-7). Combined Record: 18-12. Home-Away: 1-1.
3. Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
Record vs. NFC: 8-3. Remaining Schedule: at Baltimore (8-7), vs. San Francisco (8-7). Combined Record: 16-14. Home-Away: 1-1.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4).
Record vs. NFC: 7-4. Remaining Schedule: at N.Y. Jets (4-11), vs. Carolina (5-10). Combined Record: 9-21. Home-Away: 1-1.
In the latest Super Bowl odds at FanDuel, the Kansas City Chiefs are the new favorite at +370. The next three teams are from the NFC: the Packers at +450, Buccaneers at +650 and Rams at +950. The Cowboys are +1000.
