‘Playoffs?’: Crumbling Packers Remain in Thick of NFC Race
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Cue Jim Mora’s famous rant about the playoffs.
“Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs. You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game.”
At this point, so does Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur. His team, which had never lost back-to-back games in the same regular-season during his first three seasons, has lost three in a row following Sunday’s 23-21 loss at the Washington Commanders.
“We’ve got to do something,” LaFleur said. “We’ve got to look at everything and see what we’re doing, the situations we’re putting our guys in. We’ve got to play smarter, too. We’ve got to play smarter and not put ourselves in situations where we can get called for holding. We’ve got to be more disciplined and mindful of what we’re doing on each individual play because right now, it’s not good enough.”
The Packers woke up this morning sitting in 10th place in the NFC. The top seven qualify for the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams, who had a bye this week, hold that No. 7 spot with a 3-3 record, so Green Bay isn’t far off the pace.
Here are the NFC standings:
1. Philadelphia (No. 1, NFC East): 6-0
2. Minnesota (No. 1, NFC North): 5-1
3. Seattle (No. 1, NFC West): 4-3
4. Tampa Bay (No. 1, NFC South): 3-4
5. N.Y. Giants (No. 2, NFC East): 6-1
6. Dallas (No. 3, NFC East): 5-2
7. L.A. Rams (No. 2, NFC West): 3-3
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8. San Francisco (No. 3, NFC East): 3-4
9. Atlanta (No. 2, NFC South: 3-4
10. Green Bay (No. 2, NFC North): 3-4
11. Washington (No. 4, NFC East): 3-4
12. Arizona (No. 3, NFC West): 3-4
If you’re wondering why Green Bay is ahead of Washington after just losing to the Commanders, it’s because head-to-head is the first tiebreaker only when all teams have played each other.
Of course, tiebreakers are irrelevant at the moment. The Packers just need to win a game. When will they? Up next is a Sunday night game at the Buffalo Bills, who are 5-1 and have been the season-long favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Packers are the biggest underdogs on the Week 8 slate.
Then it’s a trip to Detroit. The Lions are 1-5 but have been tough on the Packers at Ford Field. After that, it’s home games against the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) and Tennessee Titans (4-2) and a trip to Philadelphia to face the undefeated Eagles (6-0). Finally, their last game before the bye is at Chicago (2-4; vs. New England on Monday night).
Adding to the challenge, the Bills and Cowboys will be coming off their byes.
Incredibly, last year’s NFC final four of Green Bay, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and the defending champion Rams are all struggling. The Rams are 3-3 and the Packers, 49ers and Buccaneers are 3-4.
For the Packers, everyone needs to play better, Aaron Rodgers included. Rodgers is clinging to hope like it’s a life preserver. “You’re goddamn right” the season can be saved, he said. Does that belief permeate the rest of the locker room?
“It should be,” he said. “Unless they don’t think they’re the right person for the job. I think I’m the right person for the job.”
The road, as impossible as it sounds, starts – as Mora so eloquently put it – winning a game.
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