ClutchPoints
With NFL Week 16 already here, franchises are scrambling to secure their playoff position with three weeks remaining in the regular season. The Green Bay Packers are at the center of arguably the hottest race in the NFC at the moment, one game behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North with their second matchup coming in Week 16.
The Packers have over 5,000 playoff seeding scenarios coming into their game against the Bears, the most in NFL history. The Packers can certainly clinch their division and punch a ticket to the playoffs, but they’ll have to complete their season sweep over Chicago, along with banking on a Detroit Lions loss.
With the loss of defensive cornerstone Micah Parsons to an ACL tear, things have looked bleak in Green Bay over the last few days. Still, they occupy the final No. 7-seed if the season were too end today, with room to work if they can see some other teams lose.
There’s no question that the main difference in this team has been the addition of Micah Parsons putting this pass rush over the top, but Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley has been building this defensive identity long before Parsons landed in Green Bay. Amidst rumors of head coaching jobs, Jeff Hafley was excited and hopeful for Parsons in 2026, signaling he may be around to watch this defense reach its full potential.
For now, however, they’ll have to adjust to life without Parsons and that means key players will need to step up in massive ways. DE’s Lukas Van Ness, Rashan Gary, and Kingsley Enagbare will all have to expand their roles and hit a new gear to make up for the loss of their stud. Now is the time to do so and the Packers will have to channel their dominant mindset from Week 1 against the Lions where the defensive was still integrating Parsons in.
Given the gravity of the injury and the Packers’ Super Bowl aspirations prior to Week 15, expect Jeff Hafley and this defense to shock some people in how effectively they respond to this.
As is the case with past NFC North races, the Packers’ destiny to reach the playoffs largely hinges on their final Week 16 showdown against the Chicago Bears. The Bears lead the NFC North at 10-4, but would lose position with a loss to Green Bay, surrendering the NFC North. They still own a 74% probability of making the playoffs with a loss, but a win would put them right in the NFC’s No. 2 slot, granting first-round home advantage.
The reason the No. 2-seed is so important is that they’ll face the No. 7-seed in Green Bay when the cold temperatures and weather are a huge factor. They could be staring at matchups against the Bears, Niners, or even Lions, so it’ll be crucial to pick up the highest seed possible. Furthermore, without Micah...
