NFC Playoffs

[Raptorman]

Just a thought. What happens if you take a bunch of fringe NFL players who are just not barely good enough to make other teams 53, and put them together? You get a group of players who have nothing to lose by playing balls to the walls. In other words, Detroit. They have what, 19 players on IR? 35% of their roster. So the guys they bring in have nothing to lose by playing as freely as they can.

Just a thought.

[wallyuwl]

Kraft said this week the time for talking was over and it was time to lock in.

there are players on the team not content with the status quo and are pushing to improve the mistakes/drive killers/penaltys....it will just all come down to if it will ever click. Can they all actually get on the same page and not play dumb? I would think the likelihood would DECREASE if it hasnt happened before the pressure ratchets up from the playoffs.

but it can still come all together, and if it does...look out!

But I dont think it should be expected to all come together this late in the season.

I disagree on being able to come together this late in the season. I would contend it is most likely to come together late in the season if the players are putting in the work and committed to having it come together. Will it happen? Who knows. But just because it is late in the season isn't good reason to say it can't.

But I do think this team is almost surely going to be the 6th seed. Even with beating MN (which is possible but not likely, IMO), I don't see how they make up the game they'd still be behind.

[APB]

If we cant win this week I really dont even concern myself with the playoffs much. We would make it but it would be a quick exit. At some point we need to prove we can beat playoff teams this season.

Not me.

I try not to make judgements based on absolutes. Any given Sunday type thing applies here.

A bad bounce, blocked pass at the LOS, ricochet interception, slip on a route…any one of those things and a million more could flip a game in their favor.

Or against it.

Teams are so evenly matched nowadays, especially playoff level teams, that you can make an argument for or against any single game. It’s teams like KC and Detroit who have figured out how to make a play in crunch time that sets them ahead. I have faith the Packers are just as capable.

[Yoop]

Just a thought. What happens if you take a bunch of fringe NFL players who are just not barely good enough to make other teams 53, and put them together? You get a group of players who have nothing to lose by playing balls to the walls. In other words, Detroit. They have what, 19 players on IR? 35% of their roster. So the guys they bring in have nothing to lose by playing as freely as they can.

Just a thought.

true, but to me, it points out the quality of their bench, and that typically takes a few years to build IMHO, it was the result of our bench in our last SB, we also were missing a bunch of starters, but the backups played like starters, to me it's the same with Detroit this season, and if they get a few back prior to PO's they will be a tough game for anyone.

[NCF]

Just a thought. What happens if you take a bunch of fringe NFL players who are just not barely good enough to make other teams 53, and put them together? You get a group of players who have nothing to lose by playing balls to the walls. In other words, Detroit. They have what, 19 players on IR? 35% of their roster. So the guys they bring in have nothing to lose by playing as freely as they can.

Just a thought.

2010 Packers. I do think there is something to that, but also an outlier vs a trend. Detroit still has plenty of star power on the field on both sides of the ball.

[YoHoChecko]

The playoff race in the NFC North

image.png (279.41 KiB) Viewed 930 times

[BSA]

2010 Packers. I do think there is something to that, but also an outlier vs a trend. Detroit still has plenty of star power on the field on both sides of the ball.

They do.
And an NFL team is in much better position to absorb injuries on the defensive side of the ball vs on offense - in part because of the relative sizes of their corresponding playbooks. On defense, its just easier/faster to assimilate a player and its easier for a DC to work with and around those subs.
"See ball, get ball."

Additionally, at this stage in the season- a back-up has fresh legs - while his counterparts are dinged up and worn out from 3 games in 11 days. This lessens the gap between starters and the depth pieces behind them. For one game, you can mask injury-related deficiencies because there isn't tape on those guys yet - but over the course of a few games or a season, I think you'd notice more of a difference.

[Raptorman]

If we cant win this week I really dont even concern myself with the playoffs much. We would make it but it would be a quick exit. At some point we need to prove we can beat playoff teams this season.

Starting to sound like some Viking fans I know. You just never know what's going to happen. Playoffs everyone starts at 0-0.

[BSA]

Here's how the NFC looks this morning, Packers knocked Seattle "out" with win last night
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image.png (42.06 KiB) Viewed 821 times

[YoHoChecko]

I dunno if it's been said anywhere but I'm relatively sure that the Packers are eliminated from the NFC North division title hunt with Minnesota's win last night.

[go pak go]

I dunno if it's been said anywhere but I'm relatively sure that the Packers are eliminated from the NFC North division title hunt with Minnesota's win last night.

The only thing that can really win us the division is for the Lions and Vikes to tie. Kind of the same with getting knocked out of the playoffs. If we lose out and Rams/Hawks tie...

Both conferences are largely set for both teams and even seeding with 3 weeks to go.

[Pckfn23]

I dunno if it's been said anywhere but I'm relatively sure that the Packers are eliminated from the NFC North division title hunt with Minnesota's win last night.

Vikings lose out until the Lions game.
Lions lose out until the Vikings game.
Packers win out.
Vikings and Lions tie in week 18.

[YoHoChecko]

Ah yes, I had not considered the tie.

Ok then. BEAR DOWN (still)

Wish we hadn't injured Geno. We need him at full strength against the Vikings next week.

Honestly the Rams-Seahwaks and Bucs-Falcons could end up making for some pretty fun permutations down the stretch.... but could also be decided quickly and boringly.

Lots of matchups among playoff teams and hopefuls down the stretch, particularly Rams-Seahawks in week 18 and Seahawks-Vikings in week 16 and Vikings-0LIons in week 18 and Packers-Vikings in week 17.

Just bummed there aren't any Bucs-Falcons matchups left to play... but if the Cowboys surprise the Bucs this week, everything is on the table there.

[BSA]

Wish we hadn't injured Geno. We need him at full strength against the Vikings next week.

Yup.
Geno is a vet who has seen it all and would be much better vs the Flores D than Sam Howell
Seahawks expressing some optimism Geno can play, but not sure if this is just gamesmanship

https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2024/ ... -possible/

[APB]

Wish we hadn't injured Geno. We need him at full strength against the Vikings next week.

Yup.
Geno is a vet who has seen it all and would be much better vs the Flores D than Sam Howell
Seahawks expressing some optimism Geno can play, but not sure if this is just gamesmanship

https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2024/ ... -possible/

When you look at the actual hit he was injured on, it was barely a touch. His feet just came down a little awkward. It wouldn't surprise me to see him back out there this week.

[musclestang]

Wish we hadn't injured Geno. We need him at full strength against the Vikings next week.

Yup.
Geno is a vet who has seen it all and would be much better vs the Flores D than Sam Howell
Seahawks expressing some optimism Geno can play, but not sure if this is just gamesmanship

https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2024/ ... -possible/

When you look at the actual hit he was injured on, it was barely a touch. His feet just came down a little awkward. It wouldn't surprise me to see him back out there this week.

Yeah, I think he just landed awkwardly and got caught up in turf. They kept going on about the hit and I'm like, did he even really touch him? Look at how he landed and reacted.

[APB]

Yup.
Geno is a vet who has seen it all and would be much better vs the Flores D than Sam Howell
Seahawks expressing some optimism Geno can play, but not sure if this is just gamesmanship

https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2024/ ... -possible/

When you look at the actual hit he was injured on, it was barely a touch. His feet just came down a little awkward. It wouldn't surprise me to see him back out there this week.

Yeah, I think he just landed awkwardly and got caught up in turf. They kept going on about the hit and I'm like, did he even really touch him? Look at how he landed and reacted.

For reference:

[YoHoChecko]

So I know it really doesn't matter but basically, there are 4 teams we could possibly play under the most likely scenarios, in which we're a 5 or 6 seed playing divisions winners from the West or South: Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, Bucs

If I had to choose who we faced in round one, I'd want the Seahawks. Next choice the Falcons. Then the Bucs. Then the Rams.

None scare me. The Rams just seem to have a knack for winning different styles of game if you look at the Bills win versus the 49ers win. The Falcons would have been my top choice, but the unknown of a rookie QB with minimal tape to prepare against and the showing by Seattle 2 of the past 3 weeks (our game and the Bears game) says they're probably the worst of the bunch. The Bucs are just the team that can likely score the most against us, so an off day by the offense would be more challenging than against the others.

Those are my thoughts. Anyone else have any preferences?

[NCF]

Our streak of dominance against LA does scare me a bit that the streak could be broken at the worst possible time. I think Atlanta would be my preference, with Seattle nearly a coin flip from them. The Bucs are a Florida team and I hate that in January. The Rams I would want to see the least, but still 90% we should win.

[NCF]

I also don’t want Philly in the NFC Title Game. I would prefer a divisional play in for the Super Bowl. Philly in the Divisional would be better even though it’s unlikely.