It’s hard for me to think about the playoffs — or even say the word “playoffs” — after the Green Bay Packers’ offensive performance on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. But as things stand right now, the team is still firmly in the mix for a postseason appearance. Things aren’t going to get any easier for Matt LaFleur and Co., either.
After dropping their second consecutive home game — the first in the Matt LaFleur era — the Packers are staring at the fifth-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL entering Week 11. While this team remains a mystery from week to week, one thing we can be certain of is that they will have earned their spot come January if they can successfully navigate their remaining slate.
Following Monday night’s contest, the Packers are seventh in the NFC playoff picture and third in the NFC North. The second half of the season will deliver a harsher reality check for the Packers than the first half. Green Bay’s strength of schedule from its first eight games of the season was just .418. The second half? .561.
Losing to the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers could look a whole lot worse as we head into the final stretch of 2025. The Packers have done themselves no favors with those shocking defeats. After adding another one to the defending world champions in a game that the defense kept them in, they have little margin for error.
Perhaps the next two easiest games left on their 2025 slate are the next two, starting with a road game against the New York Giants. The Giants just fired Brian Daboll after another epic meltdown. It’s hard to tell how that team will respond to the change. They might come out playing hard for their interim head coach, Mike Kafka, or they might pack it up.
The Packers could benefit if the Giants play without rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Regardless of who lines up under center for the Giants, the Packers need to win this game. It’s pretty much as close to a must-win as midseason November games go. Sunday will either be a “get-right” win or a “panic-meter” loss.
Following that is an interesting schedule quirk that allows the Packers to make up some ground. Five of their final seven games this season are against divisional opponents, including games against the improved Chicago Bears and the well-coached Minnesota Vikings.
Immediately after their matchup with the Giants, the Packers head back to Lambeau to play Minnesota. While the Vikings are under .500, they are better than that record indicates and are always a tough matchup for the Packers. Two of their final three games are on the road at Chicago and Minnesota.
Mixed in there is a Thanksgiving Day date with the division-leading Detroit Lions. We all know how poorly the Packers performed against their divisional rivals last season. They went 1-5 and a Karl Brooks fingertip away from being completely winless. So far this season, they are 1-0 after blowing out the Lions in Week 1, but haven’t had a divisional game since. The Packers used a huge Thanksgiving Day win back in 2023 to spark their playoff run. Can they do the same this year?
The jury is still out on whether they have corrected those issues from last season. Hopefully, the Packers can use the gauntlet of divisional games to their advantage as they head into the end of the year. The NFC is trending toward being one of (if not the) best divisions in football.
If the Packers can survive hard-fought games against top-tier competition, they can ride that wave of momentum into what will hopefully be a deep playoff run. Nothing quite rights the ship for a team like defeating its rivals, and Green Bay has the chance to do that often down the stretch.
The Packers still have two AFC matchups on their schedule. They have road games against the Denver Broncos, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is still under .500, but they look like a completely different team with Lamar Jackson back under center.
Denver has always been a tough place to play. Just two seasons ago, the Packers traveled there and lost to a Russell Wilson-led Broncos team. Bo Nix is a much better quarterback and will be under center.
The Broncos also possess the best pass rush in football and are on pace to eclipse the most sacks in a season. With 46 sacks, they lead all of football by a wide margin. Heading into the Colorado winter to play one of the best teams in the AFC will help this team get ready for January football.
The Packers still control their own destiny at this point, but the time to stack “easy” wins is behind them. Letting games against the Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and Panthers slip away means they will have to win some tough matchups against some of the best teams in the league. To be the best, they will have to beat the best. If they can do that for the rest of the 2025 season, they will head into the playoffs playing their best football at just the right time.