NFL playoff picture: What Packers win over Seahawks means for NFC standings
The Packers face the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday. We break down what the game means for the NFL playoff picture.
Game result: The Packers controlled the Seahawks 30-13 to improve to 10-4. Green Bay is now two games back of the Detroit Lions, who lost on Sunday, in the NFC North but they are also two games up plus own the tiebreaker over the eighth place Seahawks team.
Meanwhile, Seattle drops from third to eighth and out of a playoff spot after losing a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Rams. They still control their own desitny but may have to do it without Geno Smith.
The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks face off on Sunday Night Football at Lumen Field to close out Week 15’s Sunday slate. Both teams are holding a playoff spot heading into the game, although Seattle could use a win a little bit more than Green Bay. The Packers are a 2.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Packers playoff picture
The Packers are 9-4 and sitting in third place in the NFC North. They sit in sixth place overall in the NFC standings. They are two games back of the Vikings for second place in the NFC North and the top spot in the wild card standings.
Green Bay will be eliminated from winning the division title if they lose or if the Lions beat the Bills on Sunday afternoon. At the time of this article publishing, Detroit is trailing Buffalo 21-14 at halftime. The Packers cannot clinch a wild card berth with a win over the Seahawks, but it would set them up with a clinching scenario in Week 16.
Seahawks playoff picture
The Seahawks are 8-5 and sitting in first place in the NFC West with a half game lead over the Rams. LA beat the 49ers on Thursday Night Football, and if Seattle loses, LA would have the tiebreaker edge due to their Week 9 win in Seattle. The Seahawks and Rams face off in Week 18 in Los Angeles, which likely will decide the division champ.
If the Seahawks win, they would remain a full game up on the Rams and in fourth place in the overall NFC standings. If the Seahawks lose, they would drop to eighth place and sit a game back of the Commanders in the wild card standings.
Tiebreaker implications
The winner of the game gets the head-to-head tiebreaker. It is notable primarily because it would set up the Packers with a clinching scenario in Week 16. The odds of these two teams finishing tied for a wild card berth is slim given the state of the NFC West vs. the NFC North. It would also impact the conference record tiebreaker between the Seahawks and Rams, and also potentially the common opponents tiebreaker.