Here’s How Packers Qualify for Playoffs

Also on Sunday at Detroit, the Green Bay Packers could earn a milestone victory.

Bill Huber | Dec 9, 2020

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are closing in on a second consecutive playoff berth under coach Matt LaFleur.

There are several paths to accomplish that feat this week but here’s the most straight forward. If Green Bay (9-3) wins at the Detroit Lions (5-7) and the Minnesota Vikings (6-6) lose or tie at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5), the Packers will clinch the NFC North championship and at least one home playoff game.

“Our sole focus is on the Detroit Lions. Whatever happens after that, happens,” LaFleur said of talk about playoff scenarios.

Last year, LaFleur became the first coach in franchise history to lead the team to the playoffs in his first season.

Also with a win on Sunday, the Packers would become the first team in NFL history to win 800 games (including playoffs).

Here are the Packers’ playoff scenarios, provided by NFL Communications on Wednesday.

Green Bay clinches NFC North with:

GB win + MIN loss or tie OR

GB tie + MIN loss

Green Bay clinches playoff berth with:

GB win + ARI loss or tie OR

GB win + LAR loss or tie OR

GB win + SEA win or tie OR

GB tie + ARI loss OR

GB tie + LAR loss + ARI tie OR

GB tie + SEA win or tie + ARI tie

The Packers are 9-3, one game behind the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC. The No. 1 seed not only gets homefield advantage throughout the conference playoffs but also the only first-round bye.

The Saints and Packers are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the Super Bowl board at PointsBet.

Published Dec 9, 2020

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.