Upcoming Packers Showdown Reflected in Latest NFC Playoff Standings

The Green Bay Packers remain in first place in the NFC standings. Will they be there in two weeks?

The Packers improved to 5-1-1 following their come-from-behind victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. The Philadelphia Eagles are in second place, one of five teams with two losses after Week 8. They will play at Lambeau Field next week.

Here are the latest NFC playoff standings.

NFC Playoff Standings After Week 8

1. Green Bay Packers (first place, NFC North): 5-1-1

2. Philadelphia Eagles (first place, NFC East): 6-2

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first place, NFC South): 6-2

4. Seattle Seahawks (first place, NFC West): 5-2

5. Detroit Lions (second place, NFC North): 5-2

6. Los Angeles Rams (second place, NFC West): 5-2

7. San Francisco 49ers (third place, NFC West): 5-3

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8. Chicago Bears (third place, NFC North): 4-3

9. Carolina Panthers (second place, NFC South): 4-4

10. Dallas Cowboys (third place, NFC East): 3-4-1

11. Atlanta Falcons (third place, NFC South): 3-4

12. Minnesota Vikings (fourth place, NFC North): 3-4

13. Washington Commanders (third place, NFC East): 3-5

14. Arizona Cardinals (fourth place, NFC West): 2-5

15. New York Giants (fourth place, NFC East): 2-6

16. New Orleans Saints (fourth place, NFC South): 1-7

Showdown Looming

First thing’s first. The Packers have to beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Carolina had won three in a row to surge to 4-3 but was blasted at home by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Starting quarterback Bryce Young was inactive due to an ankle injury but could be back in the lineup for Sunday.

If Green Bay wins, it will host a first-place showdown the following Monday night against the Eagles, who were gifted their bye to get healthy and ready for a game that could have enormous playoff ramifications.

Both quarterbacks are cooking. Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts is third with a 114.4 passer rating. In back-to-back wins, he’s thrown nine incomplete passes and seven touchdowns. Green Bay’s Jordan Love is fourth with a 112.8 passer rating. He threw for a season-high 360 yards against the Steelers.

“Yeah, I think there’s definitely been flashes all season of our identity, and I think the message has always been just trying to find that consistency,” Love said after the game. “Obviously, getting Christian (Watson) back was awesome, just another explosive player. And what we want to be is the most explosive offense in the NFL.

“So, I think just trying to find ways to be as consistent as possible, because we know what type of offense we’re capable of being. It just comes down to making plays. The first half, it wasn’t up to our standard and, obviously, the score reflected that (and) some of our drives reflected that. And you look at the flip side, in the second half, we were able to do that. So I think that’s just what we need to be at all times, just trying to be as consistent as possible.”

While the top of the conference remains incredible close, there was separation between the top teams and rest of the pack.

In fact, No. 8 through No. 16 remains exactly the same as last week. Why? They all lost, with the exception of the Cardinals, who were on the bye. The Chicago Bears remain No. 8 after losing to the Baltimore Ravens and the Minnesota Vikings remain No. 12 after getting routed by the Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFC is 26-20 against the AFC this season but went 1-7 this past week.

Strength of Schedule

According to Tankathon, the Packers have the 12th-most-difficult remaining schedule, with their remaining opponents having a combined .527 winning percentage.

The Packers in November will host the Panthers (4-4) and Eagles (6-2), visit the New York Giants (2-6) and host the Minnesota Vikings (3-4) before sharing turkey and pie at the Detroit Lions (5-2) on Thanksgiving.

The regular season will close at home against the Chicago Bears (4-3), at the Broncos (6-2) and Bears, home against the Ravens (2-5) and at the Vikings (3-4).

The Eagles and Broncos lead their divisions, while the Panthers, Giants, Vikings and Bears are coming off losses.

The strength of schedules in the race for homefield: Eagles, .537; Lions, .527; Rams, .514; Seahawks, .507; and Buccaneers, .471.

Packers Playoff Chances

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Packers have a 93.5 percent chance of reaching the playoffs and a 57.6 percent chance of winning the NFC North. Those are big increases over last week when the Packers had an 81.4 percent chance of reaching the playoffs and a 45.4 percent chance of winning the division.

Green Bay is considered the favorite in the NFC, with its 21.2 percent chance of getting to the Super Bowl just ahead of the Eagles (18.9 percent) and Lions (16.9 percent).

According to Playoff Status, the Packers have an 85 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs. It was 54 percent before the Arizona game and 66 percent before the Pittsburgh game.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers are an overwhelming -2000 to reach the playoffs. Last week, it was “only” -550. What does that mean? By implied probability, there is a 95.2 percent chance that the Packers will at least reach the postseason.

The Colts have the shortest odds at -2500 and the Bills are next at -1600. In the NFC, the Eagles are -1050, the Lions are -900 and the Rams are -590.

The Packers are 12.5-point favorites against Carolina at FanDuel. However, they are only 3-4 against the spread.