GREEN BAY – The Packers' playoff scenarios heading into Week 17 are pretty simple.
As NFC North champs, the Packers will get one of the top three seeds in the NFC depending on Sunday's outcomes.
- A win over the Lions guarantees the Packers no worse than the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, and it keeps them in the running for the No. 1 seed.
- A loss to the Lions would drop the Packers to the No. 3 seed unless the Saints also lose.
With that in mind, there are only two other games that impact the Packers.
New Orleans (12-3) at Carolina (5-10)
If Green Bay wins Sunday, this game means nothing to the Packers because they have the tiebreaker over the Saints. But if the Packers lose, they need the Saints to lose to still get a first-round bye.
Root for: Panthers
San Francisco (12-3) at Seattle (11-4)
As the Sunday night contest, this is the final game of the regular season, and with the NFC West title at stake it has major implications for the entire NFC. For the 49ers, this game is the difference between the No. 1 seed and the No. 5 seed. If San Francisco wins, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Santa Clara. If Seattle wins, it opens the door for the Packers to take the No. 1 seed with a 13-3 mark.
Root for: Seahawks
Other elements to the NFC playoff picture:
Minnesota (10-5) is locked into the No. 6 seed regardless of its outcome vs. Chicago. The Vikings will travel to face the No. 3 seed on wild-card weekend, which could be Seattle, New Orleans or Green Bay.
Either Philadelphia (8-7) or Dallas (7-8) will be the No. 4 seed and will host the loser of the San Francisco-Seattle game in the opening round. If the Eagles beat the Giants, Philadelphia wins the NFC East. If the Eagles lose and Dallas beats Washington, the Cowboys are the NFC East champs.
