The Green Bay Packers entered the season with Super Bowl expectations after acquiring Micah Parsons. After Parsons suffered a season-ending ACL tear, are those expectations still realistic?
As long as the Packers are a playoff team, they are going to hold out hope of a deep run. That’s what they are, as Green Bay had already clinched a spot in the field prior to Week 18 and knew it will be playing in the postseason.
After some tough losses, including back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens, the Packers are hoping both sides of the ball can overcome injuries and play their best football in January.
Here’s a look at the Packers’ playoff outlook as the regular season comes to an end.
LIVE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 18
NFL playoff bracket 2026
Packers playoff picture
The Packers were locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC coming into Week 18, which makes their loss to the Minnesota Vikings a mute point. Here's the full playoff picture in the NFC:
Seed Team Record
1 Seattle Seahawks* 14-3
2 Chicago Bears* 11-6
3 Philadelphia Eagles* 11-6
4 Carolina Panthers* 8-9
5 Los Angeles Rams* 12-5
6 San Francisco 49ers* 12-5
7 Green Bay Packers* 9-7-1
8 Minnesota Vikings - eliminated 9-8
9 Detroit Lions - eliminated 9-8
10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - eliminated 8-9
11 Atlanta Falcons - eliminated 8-9
12 Dallas Cowboys - eliminated 7-9-1
13 New Orleans Saints - eliminated 6-11
14 Washington Commanders - eliminated 5-12
15 New York Giants - eliminated 4-13
16 Arizona Cardinals - eliminated 3-14
*=clinched playoff spot
With Green Bay headed for the No. 7 seed for the third consecutive year, the Packers' first-round opponent is locked in, and a familiar one: the Chicago Bears.
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NFC North standings
Rank Team Record
1 Chicago Bears 11-6
2 Green Bay Packers 9-7-1
3 Minnesota Vikings - eliminated 9-8
4 Detroit Lions - eliminated 9-8
The Packers saw the NFC North officially slip away in Week 17, as their loss to the Ravens allowed the Bears to clinch the division for the first time since 2018.
Green Bay will finish second in the division and hasn't won the NFC North since 2021.
Packers clinching scenarios
Fortunately for Packers fans, there wasn't much math to worry about after their loss in Week 18. Despite losing to the Vikings, Green Bay was already locked into the No. 7 seed and knew it will play the No. 2 seed on the road in the wild-card round.
Chicago remained the No. 2 seed in Week 18, meaning the Packers will travel to face their divisional foe over Wild Card Weekend.