The Green Bay Packers are on the verge of making an improbable NFL playoff appearances thanks to a historic win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.
During the Packers’ critical victory on Sunday, the team did something no other club in league history has done on the road.
While those may seem like a bunch of arbitrary numbers and a rather meaningless record, let’s put things into context here.
About a month-and-a-half ago, Green Bay was 3-6. It had just lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, marking its fifth loss in six games. Jordan Love was struggling mightily in his first year under center, leading many to believe that he was not the Packers’ long-term answer at quarterback. The offense was listless. The defense couldn’t get stops in key moments. Injuries were piling up.
A trip to the postseason was the furthest thing from the minds of Green Bay fans at that point. As a matter of fact, draft positioning started to become the biggest question.
But since then, the Packers have gone 5-2 to not only vault themselves back into the NFC playoff picture, but to also grab hold of the third and final Wild Card spot with one game left to play. All Green Bay needs to do is beat the Chicago Bears at home next Sunday, and it will punch its ticket to the postseason.
Given the dreadful feeling around the Packers in mid-November, this would be a pretty incredible accomplishment, and Green Bay hammering the Minnesota Vikings away from home this past weekend was a clear demonstration that this ballclub means business.
Things are starting to click at the right time for the Packers, too.
Love is playing his best ball of the season. Aaron Jones has gotten going on the ground. Green Bay’s young receivers have been taking turns contributing, and that’s with No. 1 wide out Christian Watson being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The Packers (who are 8-7) are starting to look like a rather dangerous team heading into the New Year, and that’s not something anyone would have expected seven weeks ago.
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