Cal Sports Report

It’s Aaron Rodgers vs. Jared Goff for a Playoff Berth

Former Cal quarterbacks face off in finale. If Packers win, they’re in. Lions need a win and help

Jake Curtis

The Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 in Green Bay on Sunday, so it comes down to this: Former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Packers against former Cal quarterback Jared Goff of the Lions in Green Bay next Sunday in their final regular-season game with a playoff berth on the line. 

If Rodgers' team wins that home game he is in the postseason again. If Goff wins, he can get into the playoffs if he gets some help from the team that sent him packing to Detroit, the Rams.

Rodgers and his Packers were dismissed from playoff discussions when they were 4-8, but after beating the Vikings for their fourth straight win, Green Bay is one win from a spot in the postseason.

The Packers, Lions and Seattle are tied for the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC with 8-8 records, but the Packers own the tiebreaker with the Seahawks so Green Bay would only need to top Detroit at Lambeau Field next week to reach the postseason.

"When it was 4-8, not many people believed," Rodgers said. "Next thing you know we're 8-8, controlling our own destiny with a game right here to get into the dance. How 'bout that."

Rodgers' on-field postgame interview below:

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The Lions, who beat the Bears, would need a win and a victory by the Rams over Seattle to reach the postseason.

The Packers looked like a playoff team on Sunday, handing NFC North Division-champion Minnesota just its fourth loss of the season.

Rodgers did not have a great game by his standards, but it was good enough. He was 15-for-24 for 159 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 95.7 passer rating.

His one touchdown pass was a beauty and that 21-yard completion to tight end Robert Tonyan gave the Packers a 24-3 lead and may have been the deciding blow for the Packers.

Rodgers later ran for Green Bay's final score of the day.

Minnesota scored first to take a 3-0 lead the Packers scored the next 41 points. A kickoff return for a touchdown by Keisean Nixon and a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown by Darnell Savage gave Green Bay a 14-3 lead. At that point Rodgers had just one completion for 1 yard.

It means the Packers need to win their final game, at Lambeau Field, to reach the playoffs.

"We've all seen some of the commentary outside as we went from 4-8 to 5-8 to 6-8 and nobody worried about the Packers and blah, blah, blah," said Rodgers. "Now what are they going to say?"

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Jeff Hansich, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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