The Green Bay Packers have faced a challenging December as they attempt to clinch a playoff spot and capture the NFC North for the first time since 2021. In the past three weeks, Green Bay played the Chicago Bears twice, with a tough road game against the AFC-leading Denver Broncos sandwiched in between.
Can the Green Bay Packers Win the NFC North?
Against the Broncos, Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Parsons is ranked seventh on the PFSN’s EDGE Impact (EDGEi) rankings. In last week’s loss, Jordan Love, who is ranked fourth on the PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi) leaderboard, had to leave with a concussion.
​The Packers clinched a playoff spot on Christmas, thanks to the Minnesota Vikings’ win over the Detroit Lions. That result guaranteed Green Bay at least a Wild Card spot. If the Lions had won, the Packers would have needed a win against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday to secure their playoff berth.
​This is the sixth time in seven seasons that Matt LaFleur has led Green Bay to the postseason, as Jordan Love has taken the Packers all three seasons when he’s been the team’s starter.
​The Week 16 loss in Chicago gave the Bears firm control of the NFC North entering the final two weeks. Coming into Week 17, the Packers trailed by a game and a half and played the Ravens with just a 6.7% chance to win the division, according to the PFSN Playoff predictor.
However, the Packers lost to the Ravens and can no longer win the NFC North. They are now locked in as the seventh seed in the conference for the playoffs.
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​For the Packers to win the NFC North, they needed to win their last two games and have the Bears lose both of theirs. Green Bay travels to Minnesota, which is no longer a factor, as the Bears have clinched the division.
​PFSN Analytics gave the Packers a 58.2% chance to beat the Ravens and a 53.4% chance of winning in Minnesota. The Bears have a 51.5% chance of winning against the 49ers and a 56.3% chance of winning against the Lions.
​Which Teams Could Face the Packers in the Wild Card Round?
PFSN’s NFL Football Playoff Meter (FPM) simulates the remaining NFL schedule 100,000 times in order to calculate the outcome of every team in the 2025-26 season. The NFL FPM uses our proprietary metrics to rank every team, which is then used to fuel our simulation engine.
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Since the Packers will be the seventh seed in the playoffs, it means the Bears have won the NFC North. Green Bay’s Wild Card opponent is likely to be a rematch from the regular season against Chicago or the Philadelphia Eagles, who defeated the Packers in Week 10.
