Victory could clinch playoffs ... with help
Green Bay — The Green Bay Packers could get a playoff berth for Christmas, but they need a lot to go right.
In simplest terms, a sevenstep process would allow the Packers to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, according to FiveThirtyEight Sports’ prediction machine. The process is as follows: 1. Packers beat Minnesota. 2. Tampa Bay loses at New Orleans.
3. Washington loses at Chicago. 4. Atlanta wins at Carolina. 5. Denver wins at Kansas City. 6. Detroit wins at Dallas 7. Houston wins vs. Cincinnati Let’s address each step: 1. Packers beat Vikings: This is obvious. The message coach Mike McCarthy has sent to his players this month is get to 10 wins, then think about the playoffs. If the Packers get to 10 wins, they’ll win the NFC North and host a wild-card game. Beating the Vikings is an essential step for any postseason possibility.
2. Tampa Bay loses at New Orleans: The Packers are the NFC’s sixth seed at the moment because of a slight tiebreaker edge over the Buccaneers. Strength of schedule, the fifth wild-card tiebreaker, is applicable because the Packers and Bucs will have identical conference records and the same record against common opponents. They also have identical strength of victories, with the Packers a better bet to end up with that edge in two weeks. So if the Packers and Bucs finish with the same record, the Packers will win the tiebreaker. If the Bucs lose to the Saints this week, they can finish no better than 9-7. The Packers can finish no worse than 9-7 if they beat the Vikings.
3. Washington loses to Chicago: Ready to root for the Bears? Washington is not an ideal team for the Packers to compete against for a playoff berth, thanks to their blowout win over Green Bay last month. But Washington’s tie against the Cincinnati Bengals makes it extremely unlikely they will finish with the same record as the Packers. If Washington loses to the Bears, it can finish no better than 8-7-1. That would be a half game behind the Packers’ worst-case scenario of 9-7 if they beat the Vikings.
4. Atlanta beats Carolina: It’s not enough for the Bucs and Washington to lose this weekend. The Packers need the Falcons to win. Like Washington, the Falcons would be an undesirable head-to-head wild-card competitor with the Packers, because of their late-October win over Green Bay. If the Falcons lose to Carolina, the Bucs still would be alive in the NFC South race entering Week 17. Should the Bucs win the NFC South and the Falcons finish with an identical record as the Packers, Atlanta would edge out Green Bay for the final wild-card spot.
5. Denver beats Kansas City: The Bucs’ best win of the season came Nov. 20 at Kansas City, which is 10-4. A Chiefs loss on Christmas to the Broncos would hurt the Bucs’ strength of victory, which could be a tiebreaker with the Packers.
6. Detroit beats Dallas: Because the Packers already have beaten the Lions, it would boost their strength of victory.
7. Houston beats Cincinnati: Same as the Lions beating the Cowboys. The Packers need both a Lions and Texans win to fully clinch a playoff spot.
If all the above scenarios fell into place, the Packers would finish no worse than 9-7. Washington would finish no better than 8-7-1. The Falcons would clinch the NFC South and thus pose no wildcard threat to the Packers. And while the Bucs could finish 9-7, they wouldn’t win the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Packers.
Three Pro Bowl Packers: After starting out 4-6, it didn’t seem like the Packers would have anyone on the NFC Pro Bowl team.
But a fourgame winning streak helped them gain some attention and in the annual voting split evenly among players, coaches and fans, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, guard T.J. Lang and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix were elected.
Lang and Clinton-Dix were voted in for the first time, Rodgers for the sixth time.
Lang has been an alternate the last two years and is the first Packers lineman to be se- lected since guard Josh Sitton in 2014. Clinton-Dix is the first Packers safety since Nick Collins in 2010.
None of the three Packers were the top vote-getters at their positions and will be backups.
In his news conference earlier Tuesday, Rodgers mentioned just about everyone on the team as being worthy of consideration. He lauded the play of Lang, tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga and said Clinton-Dix, who is tied for the NFC lead in interceptions with five, was a “no-brainer” for selection.
Asked about his own chances, Rodgers said: “It’s always a good thing to get nominated, but I don’t plan on playing in it.”
Wide receiver Jordy Nelson and Bakhtiari were named first alternates. Also chosen as alternates were wide receiver Davante Adams, defensive lineman Mike Daniels and fullback Aaron Ripkowski.
The Pro Bowl will be played on at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Orlando Citrus Bowl.
‘Jolt of adrenaline’: After making a howitzer pass, Rodgers still had to run some 60 yards downfield Sunday before he could spike the football and set up a game-winning field goal.
Easier said than done on his strained right calf. Rodgers hobbled more than ran after his long completion to Nelson, finding time to tell left guard Lane Taylor to stay on the sideline. Taylor, who bruised his hip one play earlier, was trying to rejoin the offense after missing his first snap all season.
Rodgers said the chaos combined with the cold helped numb his calf.
“At that point,” Rodgers said, “you kind of got a jolt of adrenaline.”
Rodgers said he has a chance to be “closer to 100%” healthy when the Packers host the Vikings on Saturday.
Practice squad pickup: The Packers signed receiver Max McCaffrey to their practice squad.
McCaffrey is the brother of Stanford running back and 2015 Heisman Trophy finalist Christian McCaffrey and the son of former Denver Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey.