After getting back into the win column with a 27-20 victory over the New York Giants, the Packers now face their toughest three-game stretch of the season. Over the next three weeks, Green Bay’s next three opponents are the three other teams in the NFC North starting with the Minnesota Vikings, then a Thanksgiving match-up against the Detroit Lions and finally a classic showdown against the Chicago Bears. While division match-ups are usually some of the tougher games on the schedule, this season, much like last season, these games mean a little bit more due to those important playoff implications. As it stands right now, the NFC North has two teams in the NFC playoff picture. At 7-3, the Chicago Bears are sitting atop of the division and are slotted in at the three seed. With a 6-3-1 record, the Packers are second in the division and occupy the six seed. At 6-4, the Detroit Lions are third in the division and are the first team out of the playoffs as the eight seed. Finally, the Minnesota Vikings are 4-6 and are sitting at the 10 seed in the playoff picture. While going 3-0 in the stretch would be great for Green Bay, it appears that going 2-1 is going to be needed to stay close to the top of the NFC North. That all starts with defeating the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. “We are going to have our hands full, and we know it is going to be another 60-minute, four-quarter battle,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, on the matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. “We are going to have to get healthy, recover and put the work in, in order to go out there and play our best football.” As is always the case with NFC North opponents, these games are going to be physical. So getting healthy has to be the No. 1 priority for the Packers in the coming weeks. The Packers saw a big injury in the game against the Giants as Josh Jacobs left the game with a knee injury. With Jacobs injured, Emanuel Wilson is the next man up, and he should take a brunt of the rushing work on early downs. Outside of Jacobs, Jordan Love, Quay Walker, Zach Tom, Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs all missed plays against the Giants due to various injuries. With Love, Tom, Golden and Doubs all returning to the game, it appears that all four will be healthy come Sunday. Walker also looked like he avoided a big injury, as he left the game against the Giants with a stinger. Other than the injuries, the Packers did not completely play their finest game against the Giants, as dropped passes and missed extra points were among the recurring problems in the game. Getting those cleaned up is the key to beating the division rivals, as in games of higher magnitude, those issues get magnified. While a 6-3-1 record is nothing to scoff at, it is very obvious that this Packers team is not playing its best football. It has to be a figure-it-out quick mindset so the Packers don’t fall behind in not only the divisional race, but the playoff picture as a whole.
https://www.newmedia-wi.com/games-against-division-opponents-have-major-playoff-implications
About the Author
