As you can see in this handy dandy guide, the path to the playoffs is most rocky in the AFC. All that is left to determine in the NFC is the NFC North title. The Black and Blue Division will all come down to one game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. In a game that was just flexed to Sunday Night Football, the two rivals will duke it out for a home playoff game on the not-so-frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.
The game has huge implications, but it isn’t as crucial of a contest as past season closers have been. The loser won’t be out of the playoffs. Instead, the consolation prize for the NFC North runner-up will be a matchup with the Redskins in the Wild Card round. If Seattle wins as well against Arizona, we may even see this “NFC North championship game” again in the playoffs. But even with the pressure minimal in that light, there is still mounds of expectations to be lived up to in this one.
At the beginning of the season, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were predicted by most to run away with the NFC North. It was supposed to be a down year for the rest of the division, with maybe the Lions giving Green Bay some competition. That looked to be true as the Pack reeled off six straight wins to begin 2015. Since then it has been a desperate struggle to keep their head above water in both the division and in the playoff race. They have gone 4-5 since that brilliant opening two months. Their struggles culminated last week in a 38-8 massacring from the Arizona Cardinals.
The offense took a huge blow in the preseason with the loss of Jordy Nelson to an ACL tear. Randall Cobb hasn’t been terrible by any stretch, but he also hasn’t quite filled all the holes that Nelson’s absence left either. Eddie Lacy regressed mightily and James Starks hasn’t been any more consistent as his partner in crime. It all too often has come down to Aaron Rodgers having to make a superhuman play. That is a formula that has had varying results throughout.
With all that negativity surrounding the Packers, they are still guaranteed a playoff spot even if they lose Sunday night. However, with all the hype around them entering the year, losing this game will feel like a failure. Aaron Rodgers is viewed as an elite NFL quarterback, which means he needs to be able to lift his team during times of adversity. He’s done that plenty of times, but he’s also taken a beating. Being demoted to a Wild Card spot at the hands of a rival like the Vikings won’t completely tarnish his legacy, but rest assured he won’t even want that little stain on it.
While Rodgers’ reputation has taken a hit during stretches of 2015, no unit in the NFC North has come under more scrutiny than the Green Bay defense. At times early on they looked an opportunistic as well as relentless bunch. After that initial loss however, the wheels started to rattle. It took some Rodgers magic, including a literal Hail Mary at the death, to bail them out and keep said wheels from falling completely off. They’ll have to improve on every level of the defense if they hope to make more than just a cameo appearance in the postseason.
While Green Bay was deemed to rule the NFC North roost, the Vikings were looking forward to a transition year in head coach Mike Zimmer’s second season at the helm. There were a significant number of question marks surrounding the team entering the year. Would Adrian Peterson be the same runner with a year on the sidelines? Could Teddy Bridgewater take the leap from project quarterback to team leader? Was this defense talented enough to withstand an offense-laden NFC?
The answers to all those questions have been a resounding yes. The Vikings shrugged off a stinker in their opener against the 49ers to be in the hunt for the division for the majority of 2015. Peterson is the same man he was before his suspension, currently leading the NFL in both rushing yards (1418) and first downs (68). He is second in the league with 10 rushing touchdowns.
While his statistics don’t necessarily jump off the page at you, Teddy Bridgewater has shown flashes of him being more than just a game manager. He’s shown composure beyond his years in making throws late in games, even if he had been erratic the rest of the day, to get victories against the Rams, Bears, and Chiefs. The former Louisville Cardinal has developed a great relationship with rookie wideout Stefon Diggs, one that gets better each week.
The defense has been solid, even if you are unfamiliar with any of the multiple breakout sensations. In fact, despite giving up just 19.3 points per game (6th in the NFL), there will not be a single Viking defender up for selection to the Pro Bowl. They could potentially be alternates, but the seasons by Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, and Harrison Smith warrant more than just secondary recognition. They have improved both individually and as a unit. While some of those top performers are dealing with multiple injuries at the moment, most notably Barr, they showed last week against the Giants what they could do when they are at full strength.
Both teams will be making the playoffs together for the first time since 2012. That year the Vikings sneaked into the playoffs on the season’s final day, only to be decimated by the Packers. Minnesota won’t be using Joe Webb next Sunday or even in a potential rematch come the Wild Card round. These two teams are going to put on one hell of a NFC North showcase to end the regular season. We may even get an encore.