The Green Bay Packers lost big to the Cardinals on Sunday, but in Week 17 the team controls its own playoff fate against the Minnesota Vikings, as a win would give the team the NFC North title. James Starks struggled on Sunday and that likely will give Eddie Lacy the main role when Aaron Rodgers and the Pack take on Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers are currently in the third spot in the NFC, but the team can drop down to the number five seed if they lose on Sunday. The game was flexed into Sunday night football and that means the final game of the season will decide the NFC North division and the playoff matchups in the wild card round in the conference. If the Packers win, they will be the division winners and could take on either the Vikings or the Seahawks in the wild card round.
If the Vikings end up losing the game and the Seahawks win in Week 17, Minnesota will be the six seed. But if both teams lose on Sunday, the Vikings will be the number five seed and will avoid another matchup with the Packers. The Packers have struggled on offense as of late with some offensive line issues, but Aaron Rodgers said that he is not worried about the team heading into the playoffs.
According to ESPN.com, Rodgers said that the team "can go on the road and win" in the playoffs, including in Arizona and Carolina. The Packers were beaten badly with the 38-8 loss against Arizona on Sunday, but Rodgers said he knows the team "will show up when they're playing for "all the marbles" in the postseason. Rodgers has had great postseason success, including in Arizona, but the offensive line and the rushing game will need to improve for the Packers to make another run.
The Panthers and the Cardinals are the top seeds in the NFC and those teams are both looking very strong heading into the playoffs. The Packers and anyone else looking to make a Super Bowl run will have to go through one of those teams and Rodgers said he was confident that his team could take care of business when it matters the most. James Starks struggled on Sunday and lost another fumble and that likely will put Eddie Lacy in a main role for Week 17 and the playoffs.
Lacy has struggled at times this season and has been inconsistent compared to last year, but over the past three weeks Lacy has had double digit carries and has averaged 5.0 yards or more in two of the past three games. Lacy had 124 yards against the Cowboys a few weeks ago and the Packers will try and get him going early and often against a tough Minnesota defense on Sunday night.