That’s OK, because this year was about 1 thing…(say it with me), getting the kids reps. Also, validated that Jordan Love is the QB moving forward.

Current Status

Carolina~ they currently hold the No. 1 overall pick, slot. That pick is held by Chicago in their disastrous trade to pick Bryce Young. Chicago currently holds the #1 overall pick, and if Green Bay wins, they’ll at least have a game lead in that department over 3-11 New England.

Green Bay~ sitting as the “11th seed,” the Packers need to win out, giving them a likely playoff berth. They hold tiebreakers over the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints due to their head-to-head matchups, however should there become a multiple-team tie, they may be on the outside looking in due to their losses to the Falcons, Giants, and Buccaneers…

Must-Win

As stated above, the Packers need to win their remaining games and will likely make the playoffs at 9-8. Green Bay would benefit from Minnesota losing one additional game – not counting the New Year’s Eve vs. Green Bay – and the Rams dropping one of their final three. If Green Bay ends up with the same record as the Rams, they’d be in over them, unless there’s a multi-way tie and it gets to a deeper tiebreaker than head-to-head matchup…

Barry Will Keep His Job…For Now

My guess is Matt LaFleur is loyal to his word, and will keep his Defensive Coordinator on through his contract, which allegedly ends after this season, and will re-evaluate. Joe Barry could have a good finish in these last three games, and if they make the playoffs, may even have a solid showing in the Wild Card game – which may keep his job…I wrote about this last season, about how Barry’s defenses seem to come up in the clutch, but the QB play always let the team down. Still, I wouldn’t mind a new Coordinator, someone not scared to play man coverage and bring pressure.

Matchup

Yet another offense that’s atrocious. The last couple that Green Bay has faced (New York Giants & Tampa Bay Buccaneers) have been just as bad, and each had little to no issue dicing through Barry’s squad to either win on a last second field goal or just flat out dominate the game. Either way, the Packers need to do to Carolina what all other opponents have done, shut them down. Bryce Young has struggled, immensely, all season and the Packers have the talent to make his life hell on Sunday.

Also, the Panthers actually have a solid defense. They’re 29th in overall scoring defense, and that may be due to the offense going 3 & out leaving the opposition a shorter field to score, hence not giving up many yards, but still almost 25 points/game.

Zach Kruse on Twitter, had a pretty good take (at least I like it as it’s right up my alley)…he laid out the ways that Green Bay can get to victory over the worst team in the NFL.

To get in the Christmas spirit, here’s a great take on “Let It Go” from the Crispy Brothers.

Players to Watch

I could also list every player that could rush the ball, but that would list the entire offense…when facing Joe Barry’s unit, anyone could go off. However, if Green Bay is able to stabilize these two top defenders, they should have a solid chance at winning.

Prediction

Packers 20
Panthers 24 (+4.5)

Season: 4-10
Overall: 91-62