Packer Central

Third-Place Packers Poised to Make NFL History

The Green Bay Packers are 10-4 and closing in on a playoff spot following their blowout win over the Seahawks.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) celebrates with tight end Tucker Kraft (85) after catching a touchdown pass.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) celebrates with tight end Tucker Kraft (85) after catching a touchdown pass. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – No banners shall be hung for the accomplishment, but the Green Bay Packers have a chance to be the greatest third-place team in NFL history.

With a 10-4 record and with three games remaining against the New Orleans Saints (5-9), Minnesota Vikings (11-2; pending Monday night game vs. the Bears) and Chicago Bears (4-9; pending Monday night game vs. the Vikings), the Packers have a good chance to finish at least 12-5.

Never in NFL history has the No. 6 team in the conference won 12 games, according to Stathead.

On nine occasions, the No. 6 has won 11 games. That includes the Miami Dolphins last season.

With Week 15 almost complete, the Packers are stuck in third place in the NFC North behind the Detroit Lions (12-2) and Vikings (11-2). No third-place team has won 12 games; only three times in the last 100 years has a third-place team won 11 games, most recently by the Cleveland Browns in 2020.

The NFC North’s third-place team hasn’t finished over .500 since 2012, when Green Bay went 11-5 and Minnesota and Chicago finished 10-6.

With almost no chance of winning the NFC North, the Packers are going to have to be road warriors in order to make a run in the playoffs.

“That’s the reality of it, more than likely,” coach Matt LaFleur said after an impressive 30-13 drubbing of the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday night. “We’ve just got to keep stacking wins and try to take it one day at a time, one game at a time, but I like our guys’ confidence.”

The Packers swept all four games against the NFC West and AFC South this year, accounting for eight of their 10 wins. They are only 1-3 against the NFC North, though, before closing out the regular season against the Vikings and Bears.

“I feel really good. I think we’re in a really good spot,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “I think we got to do the same thing we’ve talked about all season, just take it one game at a time and finish this season off and be where we want to be for the playoffs. But I like where we’re at, and we’ve just got to keep figuring out ways to get better, to keep, keep pushing each other and find ways to get these wins to end the season off.”

About the only thing comparable to this season was 2008, when the New England Patriots finished 11-5 but fell short of making the six-team AFC playoff field. That team would have finished alone atop three divisions, including the NFC North.

This year’s Packers would be alone in first place in three divisions and tied for first place in a fourth.

The Packers have a greater than 99 percent chance to make the playoffs. A victory over the Saints on Monday night would seal the deal, though other results could punch Green Bay’s ticket on Sunday.

Even if the Packers lose their final three games, they have a 92 percent probability of reaching the postseason, according to The New York Times.

In case you were wondering, here are the No. 6 seeds since realignment in 2002.

2023 – Miami: 11-6; L.A. Rams: 10-7.

2022 – Baltimore: 10-7; N.Y. Giants: 9-6-1.

2021 – New England: 10-7; San Francisco: 10-7.

2020 – Cleveland: 11-5; LA. Rams: 10-6.

2019 – Tennessee: 9-7; Minnesota: 10-6.

2018 – Indianapolis: 10-6; Philadelphia: 9-7.

2017 – Buffalo: 9-7; Atlanta, 10-6.

2016 – Miami: 10-6; Detroit: 9-7.

2015 – Pittsburgh: 10-6; Seattle: 10-6.

2014 – Baltimore: 10-6; Detroit: 11-5.

2013 – San Diego: 9-7. New Orleans: 11-5.

2012 – Cincinnati: 10-6. Minnesota: 10-6.

2011 – Cincinnati: 9-7. Detroit: 10-6.

2010 – N.Y. Jets: 11-5. Green Bay: 10-6.

2009 – Baltimore: 9-7. Philadelphia: 11-5.

2008 – Baltimore: 11-5. Philadelphia: 9-6-1.

2007 – Tennessee: 10-6. Washington: 9-7.

2006 – Kansas City: 9-7. N.Y. Giants: 8-8.

2005 – Pittsburgh: 11-5. Washington: 10-6.

2004 – Denver: 10-6. Minnesota: 8-8.

2003 – Denver: 10-6. Dallas: 10-6.

2002 – Cleveland: 9-7. Atlanta: 9-6-1.

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Bill Huber
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.