Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Zach Kruse

How the Packers can clinch a playoff berth in Week 15

The Green Bay Packers have a simple clinching scenario in Week 15.

Beat the Chicago Bears, and cheer for the Dallas Cowboys.

A Packers win over the Bears and a Cowboys win over the Los Angeles Rams would clinch a playoff berth for the Packers in Week 15.

The Rams are 8-5 and remain the one team most capable of knocking the Packers out of the playoffs, but that can all end next Sunday.

A win over the Bears would give the Packers 11 victories, while a Rams loss would ensure Sean McVay’s team can finish no better than 10-6. That guarantees the Packers would at least secure a wildcard berth in the NFC playoffs, regardless of the outcomes of the last two weeks.

The Packers can’t clinch the NFC North in Week 15 after the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions and improved to 9-4 on Sunday. They can, however, win the division title by beating the Bears and then beating the Vikings on Dec. 23.

The Packers have never won at U.S. Bank Stadium, but winning the division title there in two weeks would provide a memorable first victory.

As it stands now, the Packers hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They can clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs by winning their last three games of the regular season.

The New Orleans Saints have already clinched a spot in the playoffs via division title in the NFC South. No other team has clinched a spot in the NFC after 14 weeks, including the 11-2 San Francisco 49ers.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.