Where Are Packers in 2024 NFL Draft Order, 2023 Playoff Standings After Week 9?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers took advantage of the absence of Matthew Stafford to beat the Los Angeles Rams 20-3 on Sunday. How did that impact their place in the 2023 NFC playoff race or the 2024 NFL draft?
Not much.
2024 NFL Draft Order
The Packers entered Week 9 holding the sixth spot in the 2024 NFL Draft. Winning moved them to seventh.
The good news: The Packers in December will play games against the Bears, Giants and Buccaneers. Those teams are slated to pick third, fourth and eighth, respectively. So, if Sunday’s performance was nothing more than a mirage, there will be an opportunity to plunge back into the top five.
The bad news: Because of Sunday’s verdict, the Packers and Rams swapped spots and Green Bay would win (lose?) any end-of-season tiebreaker. Also, the Giants lost quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn ACL on Sunday. Not that Jones has played well, but it will be another game against a backup quarterback for the Packers, who not only beat the Rams on Sunday but rallied after Saints quarterback Derek Carr was knocked out in Week 3.
Here’s the projected top 10:
1. Arizona Cardinals (1-8)
2. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers, who are 1-7)
3. Chicago Bears: 2-7
4. New York Giants: 2-7
5. New England Patriots: 2-7
6. Los Angeles Rams: 3-6
7. Green Bay Packers: 3-5
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5
9. Denver Broncos: 3-5
10. Tennessee Titans: 3-5.
2023 NFC Playoffs
The Packers moved from 12th to 11th in the NFC, flip-flopping spots with the Rams. They are 1 1/2 games behind the Vikings for the final spot in the NFC.
The good news: The Packers will get another crack at Minnesota in Week 17 and they’ll host 10th-place Tampa Bay in Week 15.
The bad news: The Vikings and ninth-place Falcons have a victory in hand over the Packers. Worse, the Packers wasted the soft spot of their schedule. Now comes the make-or-break “third quarter” of the season: at Pittsburgh, home against the Chargers, at Detroit and home against Kansas City. The Steelers, Lions and Chargers would be in the playoffs if the season were to end today; the Chargers will try to get to .500 vs. the Jets on Monday night.
Can the Packers survive that gauntlet? If so, their final five games include only one matchup against a team with a winning record (Minnesota, without Kirk Cousins).
Here are the playoff standings, via the NFL.
1. Philadelphia: 8-1 (first, NFC East)
2. Detroit: 6-2 (first, NFC North)
3. San Francisco: 5-3 (first, NFC West)
4. New Orleans: 5-4 (first, NFC South)
5. Seattle: 5-3 (second, NFC West)
6. Dallas: 5-3 (second, NFC East)
7. Minnesota: 5-4 (second, NFC North)
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8. Washington: 4-5 (third, NFC East)
9. Atlanta: 4-5 (second, NFC South)
10. Tampa Bay: 3-5 (third, NFC South)
11. Green Bay: 3-5 (third, NFC North)
12. L.A. Rams: 3-6 (third, NFC West)
13. N.Y. Giants: 2-7 (last, NFC East)
14. Chicago: 2-7 (last, NFC North)
15. Carolina: 1-7 (last, NFC South)
16. Arizona: 1-7 (last, NFC West)
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