The Green Bay Packers have their work cut out for them if they want to make a run to the NFL playoffs this season. At 3-6, they have a long road ahead of them, but the opportunity does present itself given the current state of the NFC.

The Packers are 1.5 games behind the 6-4 Minnesota Vikings, who are riding a five-game winning streak without star wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the lineup. They also lost quarterback Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury but acquired Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals to fill the void.

Right now, Green Bay’s NFC North rivals are the team to chase down for the final playoff spot in the conference. What are the chances the Packers are able to do that? According to Seth Walder of ESPN, they are low at nine percent.

“I can’t envision a scenario in which the Packers reach the playoffs, but it is possible. Quarterback Jordan Love‘s accuracy issues (and drops by receivers, to be fair) have plagued Green Bay’s season. The defense has also underperformed its talent level.

As with many other teams, the one thing Green Bay has going for it is playing in the weaker NFC,” wrote Walder.

While nine percent isn’t great, that is better than 10 other teams in the NFL. The Packers’ chances of making a run would improve greatly if they can knock off the 4-5 Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 at Lambeau Field. While a loss wouldn’t mathematically eliminate Green Bay, this weekend is a must-win game.

With back-to-back games against the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 12 and 13, a loss to the Chargers would more than likely end the Packers season. Even splitting those games following a loss would leave Green Bay at 4-8 heading into the stretch run of the season.

If the Packers can get through Week 13 with at least a 5-7 record, they would certainly be alive. Their schedule for the final five weeks of the season isn’t overly difficult to navigate. Right now, only the Vikings have a winning record among their final five opponents; two of them, the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers are already focusing on the 2024 NFL Draft.

The last two opponents the Packers will be facing in those final five games are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, both at home. While the odds aren’t in their favor, there is certainly a path to the postseason for the Packers.

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