Saturday’s loss in Chicago didn’t just sting - it left the Packers reeling. Green Bay walked into Soldier Field with a chance to tighten its grip on the NFC North and walked out having handed the Bears a win they had no business taking.
The fallout was immediate: the Packers' division title odds plummeted from 52.9% to just 10.9%. That’s not just a drop - that’s a free fall.
But in classic NFL fashion, the story didn’t end there. On Sunday, a familiar face gave Green Bay a much-needed assist.
Aaron Rodgers, now wearing different colors but still very much a thorn in Detroit’s side, led his team past the Lions. That loss for Detroit cracked the door back open for the Packers, and suddenly, the playoff picture looks a whole lot more interesting.
As things stand, Green Bay is staring down the possibility of a return trip to Chicago - this time for Wild Card Weekend. There’s still plenty of football left in the regular season, but even with all the potential twists and turns, a Packers-Bears postseason rematch is one of the most likely outcomes.
Here’s where it gets even more intriguing: Detroit’s loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday not only clinched a playoff spot for the Bears, it also vaulted Green Bay’s playoff odds to 94%, according to The Athletic’s model. The math is now simple - one Packers win or one Lions loss over the final two weeks locks Green Bay into the postseason and slams the door shut on Detroit.
The Packers’ path won’t be easy, but it’s manageable. They host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, and while Baltimore is one of the AFC’s best, they finished Sunday’s game without Lamar Jackson, who left due to injury.
After that, Green Bay wraps up the season in Minnesota, where rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy exited Sunday’s game with a hand injury and didn’t return.
Injuries are piling up across the league, but Green Bay’s depth and resilience have kept them in the mix.
Despite the bumps and bruises, this Packers team still has a postseason ceiling - and a potentially high one.
Now, zooming out to the broader NFC landscape, the Bears currently hold the No. 2 seed, sitting one game ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. Thanks to their head-to-head win over Philly, it’s effectively a two-game lead. Unless Chicago stumbles in both of its final games - at San Francisco and home against Detroit - and the Eagles win out (Buffalo and Washington remain on their schedule), the 2-seed is staying in the Windy City.
But if chaos decides to make an appearance - and this is the NFL, after all - things could shift dramatically. If the Bears lose both of their final games and the Packers win out, Green Bay would steal the NFC North crown.
That scenario, combined with a Philadelphia loss to Buffalo, would vault the Packers all the way to the No. 2 seed. In that case, it’d still be Green Bay vs.
Chicago in the Wild Card round - but this time at Lambeau Field.
Right now, the Rams hold the No. 5 seed at 11-4, while the 49ers are 10-4 heading into their Monday night matchup with the Colts. Green Bay trails both teams by enough that leapfrogging them seems unlikely.
The same goes for Chicago’s cushion over Philadelphia. So while there’s still room for movement, the most probable outcome continues to be a 2-vs-7 showdown between the Bears and Packers.
Could the Bears lose to the 49ers and then fall to the Lions at home? Absolutely.
And let’s not forget, Green Bay has seen this kind of ending before - and not in a good way. Just last season, the Packers had a win-and-in scenario against a Lions team that had already been eliminated earlier in the day.
Detroit, playing purely for pride, came into Lambeau and knocked Green Bay out of the playoffs. That loss still lingers.
So don’t think for a second that Dan Campbell wouldn’t relish the opportunity to play spoiler again - this time by taking the NFC North crown away from Chicago in Week 18. Especially knowing that Ben Johnson, now in charge of the Bears’ offense, left Detroit in the offseason. There’s no shortage of motivation.
The playoff scenarios are swirling, and the permutations are endless. But through all the chaos, one matchup keeps rising to the top: Packers vs.
Bears. Whether it’s at Soldier Field or Lambeau, this rivalry looks destined for another chapter - this time on the postseason stage.
And if it happens? That’s not just playoff football. That’s box-office stuff.