After a loss to the Ravens on Saturday, the Packers are locked into the seventh seed for the playoffs. The most likely opponents are going to be the Bears or the Eagles. Saturday night was an embarrassing showing from the Packers.
Every coach is going to say they gave effort; they put work into the preparation. However, the product put out on the field spoke for itself. With the Vikings beating the Lions on Christmas Day, the Packers clinched the playoffs. It seems as if the Packers were simply trying to get out of this game in one piece.
Even this didn’t work, Jordon Riley who has been in at a decimated defensive line, suffered an Achilles injury. Carrington Valentine rightfully got benched by Kamal Hadden, only for Hadden to go down with a major injury. Nate Hobbs also left the game with an ankle injury. Malik Willis reaggravated his shoulder injury.
The injuries keep piling up with simply no end in sight. Because of this, Adam Schefter has confirmed that the Packers plan to rest starters for their week 18 game versus the Vikings. Normally, I would like to see the starters play, even if it is just one series. However, there is absolutely no one else this team can afford to lose.
The Packers will Face either the Eagles or the Bears
While the Packers play Sunday, they have nothing to play for in terms of playoff seeding. Because of this, it will be more likely that this will have a feel of a preseason game. With the Eagles win over the Bills, and the 49ers win over the Bears on Sunday, one of these teams will face the Packers in the wildcard round.
It is way more likely that the matchup will be heading right back to Soldier Field, setting up a rematch between division foes. However, if the Bears rest some players and lose to the Lions, and the Eagles win, the Eagles will be the matchup.
Both teams have obviously given the Packers their fair share of issues recently. The Packers faced the Eagles in the wildcard round last season. These teams also faced off this season, with the Packers falling, 10-7.
The Packers main issue in both losses to the Bears and the Eagles is the inability to get the red zone offense going. Points left on the field can be the downfall of this Packers team. If they cannot score touchdowns in the red zone, a one and done will be imminent.
We will await Sunday to find out who the Packers will ultimately face. In the meantime, this team must be prepared and ready to fight. Otherwise, the season with Super Bowl aspirations, will be completely moot.
The post The Packers Fate is Sealed in the Seventh Seed first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.