Following the Green Bay Packers' 24-12 win over the Los Angeles Rams on "Monday Night Football," two-time reigning NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the Green and Gold, currently on a two-game winning streak, can "definitely" win their final three games in a last-ditch effort to sneak into the NFL playoffs. A few weeks ago their season appeared to be dead, sitting at 4-8 and losers in seven of their last eight games, but consecutive wins at the Chicago Bears and Monday against the Rams have breathed hope back into Green Bay's playoff push.
"Well, it's three now," Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after the Monday night win. "We've got two. Got two in the bag. I don't know. Look, before the Bears week, we knew we had a bye afterwards, and those of us who sometimes peek ahead knew that we had to win five and then have a lot of things go our way. So, we've won two and just about everything we needed to happen has gone our way. Just about, right? So, things are looking up."
SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh gives the Packers a 12.6% chance to make the playoffs, up from 7.9% entering Week 15, but the Packers can't afford another defeat. Green Bay has taken care of the layups, beating the 3-11 Bears and the 4-10 Rams, but now its road the rest of the way becomes perilous.
The Packers' last three opponents have a combined record of 26-16, a .619 winning percentage that gives the Packers the seventh-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. However, their Christmas Day opponent -- the 8-6 Miami Dolphins -- has lost three straight and struggled to score in two of those three. Week 17 and 18 bring rematches against the Minnesota Vikings, the NFC North division winner who have the worst total defense in the league (399.2 yards allowed per game), and the red-hot Detroit Lions, whose offense takes a significant dip when playing away from home. The Lions lead the NFL in scoring offense in home games, 32.1 points per game, but they average 18.7 points per game on the road, the 10th fewest in the league.
Both of those NFC North tilts will be at the friendly -- and frigid -- confines of Lambeau Field.
Packers' remaining schedule
| Week | Game | Opponent Record |
|---|---|---|
16 | at Dolphins | 8-6 |
17 | vs. Vikings | 11-3 |
18 | vs. Lions | 7-7 |
"I mean, they're all good football teams," Rodgers said. "Miami's playing for the playoffs. Minnesota's obviously division winners and coming off a big win. Detroit's won, what, six out of seven; they're playing really well. So it's going to be three difficult games. Two of them are at home against dome teams. It'll be January for those two. We've notoriously been pretty good in those games over the years. So this one [versus the Dolphins] is really important because it's on the road. They obviously have a really high-powered offense. They've been a little up and down the last few weeks. Maybe we're catching them at a good time. We'll see."
Rodgers has compared the Packers' 2022 season to their 2016 season on multiple occasions since that 2016 team started 4-6 before winning their final six regular-season games to earn a playoff berth. That year, he openly stated that the Packers could "run the table." He hasn't been as demonstrative in his belief for a similar type of run this season, but the four-time MVP feels that winning out is now attainable.
"I do, yeah, I do, I do," Rodgers said. "Now we're going to play three better football teams, but I do. Definitely."
The Packers defense has tightened in their last two games, allowing a combined 31 points, and they sacked Baker Mayfield five times on Monday as well as coming away with a critical interception in Rams' territory. Rodgers also seems to have come around to trusting his rookie wide receivers, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Particularly Watson, a second-round pick, whose eight scrimmage touchdowns since Week 10 are the most in the NFL in that span.
Running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon racked up nearly 200 combined yards from scrimmage, 197, and three touchdowns on "Monday Night Football," a critical component to success for a team looking to pound opponents into submission in the frigid Wisconsin winter weather. However, the defense will have to remain sharp as the team heads to South Florida to face two of the fastest and most elusive wide receivers in football, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
"It's going to have to be a really good effort to go out there and win," Rodgers said. "It'll be a nice weather change. Nobody's going to be bummed that it'll be 40 or 50 above what it is, at least, maybe 50 or 60 above what it is right now. We'll be looking forward to getting back home to some cold weather, and hopefully, we'll be 7-8."
Playoff runs are typically built on belief and hope, and right now, the Packers have both entering the do-or-die portion of their 2022 season.
