The Green Bay Packers’ comeback attempt against the Minnesota Vikings fell just short Sunday. The Packers lost 27-25 setting the Vikings up for a chance to win the NFC North in a Week 18 clash with the Detroit Lions. Green Bay fell to 11-5 and will settle for a Wild Card berth.

The Vikings aired it out against the Packers as Sam Darnold attempted 43 passes in Week 17. The seventh-year quarterback racked up 377 yards with three touchdowns against Green Bay. Head coach Matt LaFleur realizes the team needs to do better defending high-end passing attacks. “You’ve got to get pressure on these guys if they’re going to drop back this many times. If you don’t, it’s going to be a long day,” LaFleur said per USA Today’s Ryan Wood on X.

LaFleur also lamented the Packers’ slow start. Halfway through the third quarter, Green Bay trailed the Vikings 20-3. “You just can’t do that against good teams,” LaFleur acknowledged, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

While the Packers have enjoyed a successful season, they’ve struggled against the top talent in the conference. The team has been swept by the Vikings and the Lions and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles this year. According to LaFleur, there “absolutely is a belief we can win one of these games, but we’ve got to do it.”

Matt LaFleur and the Packers need to go back to the drawing board

Green Bay’s 6-5 conference record leaves the team vulnerable to being leap frogged by the Washington Commanders. Whether they finish with the sixth or seventh seed, there’s a good chance the Packers will face a nightmare playoff scenario in which they’d match up against the Lions, Vikings or Eagles. If that’s how things play out, Green Bay would need to win their first game against those teams in the pressure-packed atmosphere of the postseason.

The best case scenario for the Packers would be a Wild Card round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Green Bay beat LA 24-19 in Week 5.

The team’s Week 17 defeat eroded some confidence as Jordan Love went 19/30 for 185 yards and one touchdown while running back Josh Jacobs squeezed 69 yards out of 17 carries. Meanwhile Darnold continued his MVP-level campaign. The Vikings boast the fourth-best passing offense in the NFL. Minnesota will win the division with a victory over the Lions in Week 18.

Week 18 NFL Schedule Announced, Packers-Bears set for 12 Noon Central Time

The conclusion of the NFL’s week 17 Sunday schedule has come about, and with it we now have the game times for week 18.

The Green Bay Packers will host the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field next Sunday, with kickoff time set for 12:00 Noon Central. This will be the Packers’ first early afternoon kickoff in week 18 since 2021, when they played the Detroit Lions.

The Packers will need to beat the Bears to have a chance at the #6 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Washington Commanders, the other team in the running for that seed, will also play at the same time when they visit the Dallas Cowboys. Based on the week 17 results, the Packers need a win over the Bears and a Commanders loss to claim the sixth seed; the Commanders will be the #6 either via a win over the Cowboys or the Packers losing to Chicago.

Both teams have plenty of reason to want to avoid the #7 seed, as that team will have to travel to play the NFC East-winning Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card weekend. The #6 seed will get a matchup with the winners of either the NFC West (the Los Angeles Rams) or the NFC South (if the Buccaneers win that division and pass the Rams as the 3 seed).

Meanwhile, the Sunday Night Football game in week 18 is generally reserved for a winner-take-all game, and this year that contest comes with massive stakes. The Detroit Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings in a game that will decide both the NFC North winner and the #1 overall seed in the NFC. The winner earns home-field advantage through the playoffs and a first-round bye, while the loser drops down to the #5 seed and a road game on Wild Card weekend.