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Green Bay Packers need to win last four games in order to capture first-round playoff bye
BY MIKE VANDERMAUSE • MVANDERMAUSE@GREENBAYPRESSGAZETTE.COM • DECEMBER 6, 2010
Even though the Green Bay Packers are the No. 7 seed in their conference and wouldn’t qualify if the National Football League playoffs started now, they remain in control of their own destiny.
If the Packers (8-4) win their final four games, including the season finale against the first-place Chicago Bears (9-3) at Lambeau Field, they will capture the NFC North championship. In addition, the Packers would claim the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round playoff bye because they own a head-to-head tiebreaker edge over Philadelphia (8-4).
If the Packers win out and tie the Bears at 12-4, both teams would have the same division and common opponent records. But the Packers would claim the NFC North title based on a better conference record.
The high-stakes nature of the Packers-Bears regular-season showdown on Jan. 2 is exactly what the NFL had in mind when it changed its scheduling formula during the off-season to ensure division games would be played late in the season.
“I think everybody likes it now the way it is shaping up,” said Packers coach Mike McCarthy on Monday of the Packers-Bears matchup. “I like it. It will be great when we get to that point to see where both teams are. Playing Chicago the last game of the season, I think it’s awesome.”
But McCarthy’s only focus now is on Sunday’s game at Detroit, and for good reason. A Packers’ victory over the Lions, along with a win over Chicago, guarantees that Green Bay would win any tiebreaker over the Bears.
That means the Bears would either have to finish with a better record than the Packers or beat them in the season finale in order to capture the NFC North crown.
It is expected that the NFC South champion, either Atlanta (10-2) or New Orleans (9-3), will earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But the second-place finisher in that division will have to settle for no higher than the No. 5 seed that goes to the wild-card team with the best record.
There is one scenario in which the Packers could beat the Bears in the season finale but Chicago would win the tiebreaker. A Packers’ loss to the Lions, coupled with a Bears win over Minnesota in two weeks, would give the Bears the edge based on a better division record.
BY MIKE VANDERMAUSE • MVANDERMAUSE@GREENBAYPRESSGAZETTE.COM • DECEMBER 6, 2010
Even though the Green Bay Packers are the No. 7 seed in their conference and wouldn’t qualify if the National Football League playoffs started now, they remain in control of their own destiny.
If the Packers (8-4) win their final four games, including the season finale against the first-place Chicago Bears (9-3) at Lambeau Field, they will capture the NFC North championship. In addition, the Packers would claim the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round playoff bye because they own a head-to-head tiebreaker edge over Philadelphia (8-4).
If the Packers win out and tie the Bears at 12-4, both teams would have the same division and common opponent records. But the Packers would claim the NFC North title based on a better conference record.
The high-stakes nature of the Packers-Bears regular-season showdown on Jan. 2 is exactly what the NFL had in mind when it changed its scheduling formula during the off-season to ensure division games would be played late in the season.
“I think everybody likes it now the way it is shaping up,” said Packers coach Mike McCarthy on Monday of the Packers-Bears matchup. “I like it. It will be great when we get to that point to see where both teams are. Playing Chicago the last game of the season, I think it’s awesome.”
But McCarthy’s only focus now is on Sunday’s game at Detroit, and for good reason. A Packers’ victory over the Lions, along with a win over Chicago, guarantees that Green Bay would win any tiebreaker over the Bears.
That means the Bears would either have to finish with a better record than the Packers or beat them in the season finale in order to capture the NFC North crown.
It is expected that the NFC South champion, either Atlanta (10-2) or New Orleans (9-3), will earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But the second-place finisher in that division will have to settle for no higher than the No. 5 seed that goes to the wild-card team with the best record.
There is one scenario in which the Packers could beat the Bears in the season finale but Chicago would win the tiebreaker. A Packers’ loss to the Lions, coupled with a Bears win over Minnesota in two weeks, would give the Bears the edge based on a better division record.
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