The Green Bay Packers’ 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears especially stung because it ended their 11-game winning streak against Chicago, plus a few stars suffered injuries during the game. The loss also moved Green Bay back to the seventh seed instead of the sixth seed.
However, that last part might not be a bad thing.
For a few weeks in December, it looked like the Packers would enter the playoffs as either the fifth or sixth seed, which would pit them against the Los Angeles Rams or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But after falling to the seventh seed, they will travel to play the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles.
Initially, that doesn’t seem like a favorable matchup. The Eagles have Saquon Barkley, perhaps the best player in the NFL this year. However, playing Philadelphia at this point in the year may be more favorable than playing the Rams or Tampa Bay.
The Eagles finished the regular season with a 14-3 record, but Jalen Hurts has not played over the past few weeks.
Hurts suffered a concussion in their loss against the Washington Commanders in Week 16. He only played the first drive of that game and was inactive for their wins against the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.
Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee played in his place for those two games. They both played well enough in those two games to win them, but both were against opponents with sub-.500 records.
With Hurts out since Week 16, Green Bay can focus primarily on neutralizing Barkley because he will likely be their primary weapon in the Wild Card game. Even though Hurts will probably play, he may be a bit rusty after being inactive. If he doesn’t perform to their standard, they will lean on Barkley.
The playoffs are set with the Rams as the fourth seed and the Buccaneers as the third. Had Green Bay beaten the Bears and Dallas beat Washington, the Packers would have moved up to the sixth seed and played in Tampa.
Playing Tampa Bay at this point of the year would not be ideal for the Packers. The Bucs knocked the Eagles out of the postseason last year when they were the lower seed. They also have Mike Evans, who put up another 1,000-yard receiving season. With Jaire Alexander out, Tampa’s passing attack would punish Green Bay’s secondary.
Tampa’s defense has also given the Packers issues in the past. In the 2020 NFC Championship game, they forced a couple of Green Bay turnovers and won that game 31-26. In the 2022 regular season, the Packers squeaked by the Bucs, 14-12, but the offense struggled against Todd Bowles’ defense in that game. Last year, they played at Green Bay in Week 15 and won 34-20.
This year’s Buccaneers team is better than last year’s and the 2022 squad, so you do not want to face them now.
The Packers already played the Rams this year in LA and beat them 24-19 in Week 5. The Rams did not have their full passing attack then, and Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were injured and inactive.
During the first six weeks when Kupp and Nacua were both battling injuries, the Rams went 2-4 and averaged 19 points per game. In the remaining games they played since returning, the Rams went 8-2, averaging 22.8 points per game.
LA’s offense is different when Kupp and Nacua are on the field. Since the Rams sat Stafford, Nacua, and Kupp during the regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks, they will be well-rested for their upcoming game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers played the Eagles in Brazil to start the season and lost 34-29. However, given that these two have already played each other, Green Bay will know what to expect from Saquon and the offense when they had no idea what to expect back in Week 1. With Hurts in concussion protocol, the Eagles are probably the weakest of the three NFC teams hosting playoff games this weekend.
Last year, the Packers became the first team to win a playoff game as the seventh seed. They could do it again this year. They are a better team than last year, and the Eagles have uncertainty at quarterback.
