The NFC North is still in play — at least for another day or two. The Green Bay Packers clinched a playoff spot on Christmas Day, getting an important present from Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings’
defense. The team that the Packers will face to wrap up the regular season a week from Sunday delivered a knockout blow to the Detroit Lions’ playoff hopes, sending Green Bay to the playoffs.
Now, the Packers face a a question in the last two games: Should they go all-out and try to catch the Bears and win the NFC North, or should they prioritize balance between competitiveness and keeping key players healthy?
The path to the division is clear: beat the Ravens on Saturday night and the Vikings next Sunday, then hope that the Bears lose to both the 49ers on Sunday Night Football and then the Lions next week. Those results are all entirely possible, with the 49ers still in the race for the NFC’s #1 seed and the Lions always willing to put forth an effort as a spoiler.
It all starts on Saturday, however — if the Packers lose that game, they’re locked into the #7 seed no matter what happens the rest of the way. That result will surely dictate just how intensely the team approaches that final game in Minnesota next weekend.
Crunch time has cut both ways for Packers this season | Packers.com
The Packers have alternated between being extremely good at the end of games and extremely bad. They need to find a way to recapture some of their earlier successes and to do so without Micah Parsons.
Good news, bad news from Packers final injury report of Week 17 | Packers Wire
It looks like the Packers should have at least one of Jordan Love or Malik Willis, as well as Josh Jacobs. But there’s a bug going around the locker room, and it’s worth monitoring the news today and up until game time to see if it hits anybody else.
With Playoffs Clinched, Should Packers Focus on Winning or Health? | SI.com
Where do you stand on what the team should do on Saturday?
36 NFL rookies on the 1 big lesson they learned this season | ESPN
Savion Williams is one rookie quoted in this piece, and he discusses the NFL season as being a “grind.”
$400k shipment of live lobsters hijacked en route to Midwest Costco locations | FOX 11
Not the lobsters! Wait, they were all headed for Illinois and Minnesota. Carry on.
