Don’t look now, but the Green Bay Packers are still alive in the NFC Wild Card Chase with a win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
The Green Bay Packers will not have the regular season in 2022 as they have in the past two years. After starting 3-1 on the season, the Packers went on a five-game losing streak that seemingly sent their season spiraling out of control. With a 5-8 record entering Week 15, they were not out of contention going into the final game. Instead, they had very little chance of making the playoffs into their Monday night game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Those hopes for the playoffs? Still alive, the odds increased slightly after the Packers defeated the Rams 24-12.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 229 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in the win (22-for-30 on pass attempts). The majority of the Packers’ points came from running back AJ Dillon, who ran for two touchdowns. A major factor in Green Bay winning was that they dominated time of possession, holding on to the football for over 37 minutes.
As for the Rams, they will not officially defend their Super Bowl title. Now 4-10 this year, the Rams are officially eliminated from playoff play.
Packers game hopes to stay alive after win vs. Rams: Best memes, tweets
Here are some reactions to the Packers keeping their playoff hopes alive with only three more weeks left in the season.
https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1605058830064287745
As Rob Demovsky’s tweet above says, ESPN Analytics has increased Green Bay’s exit odds to 12.2 percent from 8.0 percent entering the game. The thing is, Green Bay’s three remaining games of the season look tough on paper.
On Christmas, the team plays the Miami Dolphins. This is far from an easy matchup, as the Packers will have to keep up with a Dolphins offense consisting of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
They follow that up by playing rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 17. The Vikings clinched the NFC North title for the first time since 2017 after overcoming a 33-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in overtime in Week 15. The Vikings are in a position they can They can win the first round in the playoffs, but only if they win, and the Philadelphia Eagles lose.
To close out the campaign, they play the Detroit Lions, who have been sweltering after a staring 1-6 season. The Lions won their third straight game last weekend after defeating the New York Jets 20-17 on a late touchdown from quarterback Jared Goff to tight end Brooke Wright. The last time the Packers played the Lions, they lost 15-9.
So yeah, there’s still a chance the Packers will make the postseason. It’s a tough road, but there is a way they can sneak in as an NFC Wild Card team.
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