Episode 21: Week 17 | The Playoff Picture is Clear as Mud

This week’s episode dives deep into the NFC North, highlighting the playoff implications surrounding the upcoming matchups as teams gear up for Week 17. Each team must maintain their momentum while considering potential tiebreakers and playoff scenarios that could shape their postseason.

• Detroit Lions aim to solidify their playoff position against the San Francisco 49ers
• Minnesota Vikings face an important matchup against the Green Bay Packers for division supremacy
• Green Bay's shutout of the Saints elevates their confidence and playoff ambition
• Chicago Bears looking to play spoiler against Seattle Seahawks
• Tiebreaker scenarios explored for teams with identical records
• Each team's need for wins to secure playoff positioning
• Insights and predictions for the pivotal matchups ahead

Table of Contents
0:00-0:59 Intro
1:00-1:20 www.OffRacksShop.com (Ad)
1:27-3:30 2 Minute Drill (Week 16)
3:31-10:05 Talking Playoffs
10:06-10:57 Closing Thoughts

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:00 www.OffRacksShop.com (Ad)
• 1:27 2 Minute Drill (Week 16)
• 3:31 Talking Playoff Picture
• 10:06 Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Are you still talking about football? Yeah, but without NFC North. Then let's talk football. Welcome back everybody.

Speaker 1: 0:08

This is Headed North, an NFC North podcast, and I'm your host, d-tron, and I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday this past week. I know I did, which is why I took the week off. But you know who didn't take the week off? Detroit, green Bay Bay and Minnesota. They all pulled off wins in their respective games in Chicago. Well, they showed up. So participation trophies all around. But no, seriously, I've got a two-minute drill that's going to recap you on all of last week's action, and we'll also preview a very consequential week in the NFC North. The number one seed in the NFC North championship are all going to be potentially decided this week. We've also got playoff scenarios and much more on this week's show of Headed North Podcast, and I'm going to get to all of that in just a second as soon as I share a word from my sponsors.

Speaker 1: 1:01

This episode of Headed North Podcast is sponsored by OffRackShopcom. Offrackshopcom is an online thrift retailer that specializes in men and women's clothing, shoes, accessories and more. So, if you haven't already, head to our description. You can find a discount code for your next purchase at OffRackShopcom. All right, you got your clock set. It's time for the two-minute drill for Week 16.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Detroit took on the Chicago Bears and, as most people anticipated, the Lions handled the Bears 34-17 behind. A huge performance from Gibbs 23 rushes, 109 yards. Four receptions, 45 yards. Jameson Williams five receptions, 143 yards and a touchdown. Amon Ross six receptions, 70 yards. Basically, the whole offense was going crazy. Jared Goff 23 for 32 for 336 and three passing touchdowns. And you might think that the Bears just showed up and did bear-like things, but that wasn't the case for them. They actually had some key contributors get really involved in this week's game. Caleb went 26 for 40 for 334 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. Roma Dunzey caught four for 77 yards and Keenan Allen had a massive day Nine receptions, 141 yards and a touchdown. But two lost fumbles and converting two for 10 on third downs led to their loss.

Speaker 1: 2:22

Minnesota won another close matchup. They finished 27-24 over the sliding Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, which is somewhere that Minnesota hasn't won in several years. Darnold still playing lights out 22 for 35, 246, three passing touchdowns and no picks. What a massive day I'm talking. A huge day for Justin Jefferson 10 receptions, 144 yards and two touchdowns leading the way to Minnesota's victory, and this week they've got a collision course with the red-hot Green Bay Packers team.

Speaker 1: 2:56

Speaking of the Green Bay Packers, are going to wrap up this two-minute drill by congratulating them for pitching the very first shutout of the NFL season by leading if you want to call them an NFL team right now, the helpless Saints scoreless on Monday Night Football. In true Grinch spirit, the Packers invited the Saints into Lambeau, then stole all their Christmas presents just before the holiday. This win was impressive because they left them scoreless, but the Saints were just the warm-up, which is going to lead to Week 17 in the Minnesota Vikings. All right, so two-minute drill down. Hopefully you're caught up for all of last week's things Now.

Speaker 1: 3:37

This week we're talking Week 17, and I'm going to go back to the upcoming matchup that I mentioned Packers versus Minnesota in week 17. This matchup is really important and the rest of today's show is just going to be talking about possible scenarios for the playoffs, because we've got a bunch of multi-win teams here in the NFC North and they are all vying for some positioning for spots in the playoffs. So here we go. But most important thing that needs to happen for the Minnesota Vikings is they need to win. They need to win to keep their hopes alive for winning the NFC North and the number one potentially the number one seed in the NFL. If Minnesota loses against Green Bay, detroit will automatically lock up the number one spot in the division because Detroit currently has zero divisional losses and Green Bay would give Minnesota its second divisional loss, even if Minnesota got to Detroit and they beat Detroit in the final week of the season. If they lose to Green Bay, they've got two divisional losses, which means they will not win the division.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Green Bay also has a lot to fight for here. They got a lot at stake as well. If green bay wins, they'll move to 12 and 4 and minnesota will drop to 13 and 3. Green bay would close out their season against chicago, while minnesota would have a final week battle against detroit. Conceceivably, green Bay and Minnesota could finish with the same 13-4 record, with three divisional losses one to each other and two to the Lions, which then creates this really weird scenario that you don't have to get into very often, because you don't often see teams in the division finishing with the same record, like these two teams could potentially do.

Speaker 1: 5:34

So the way tiebreakers work is head to head. So head to head they would have split best win loss record in the division. They would have a tied win loss record, both losing to Detroit for two games and then both losing one game to each other. They don't have any common games that they can speak of, which would be the third tiebreaker. The fourth tiebreaker would be games played played within the conference. They both lost a conference game. There was a loss to the Eagles for Green Bay and there was a loss to the Rams for the Minnesota Vikings. So within the conference, they both lost one conference game, which takes us to something called strength of victory. That could be the deciding factor between Green Bay and Minnesota. Strength of victory is the win, loss or tie percentage of all of the clubs that that team has beaten. So I didn't go and do the math on all of the clubs that those two have beaten, but what I'm basically telling you is Green Bay's got a chance to slide up a spot against Minnesota and that could be the difference in playing Atlanta or playing the Rams. That could be a huge difference if you're talking about going on the road and who you have to play when you get there. So those are the playoff scenarios and potential workings and ramifications really of that Green Bay Minnesota game?

Speaker 1: 7:06

Green Bay needs to win to keep the hunt up, to change their positioning for the playoffs. And well, minnesota needs to win to keep that spark alive, that hope alive, to win the division and potentially the the top of the NFC. Detroit, on the other hand, detroit also just needs to keep winning. There's a common theme here All of these teams just need to keep winning, and you would think, with 13 wins on your belt, that wouldn't be the thing that you need to do to close out. But everyone else is good this year in the division. So Detroit has got to keep winning for all of the reasons that I just mentioned a moment ago.

Speaker 1: 7:44

For Minnesota, much like the rest of the season, though, detroit controls their own destiny. A win against San Francisco and a Minnesota loss, and their seating is all locked up Number one spot in the NFC, number one spot in the division, so on. If they lose, they still get to control their destiny, because they can go and take on Minnesota to potentially still get the number one seed. San Francisco might not have anything to play for this week, which is who the Lions face, but what I can tell you is do not underestimate Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson's desire to be petty when it comes to taking on a team that stopped the Lions from getting to the Super Bowl last year. You're talking about a team that stood in the way of their destiny. Don't be surprised if the Detroit Lions come out and try to run this score up on a helpless San Francisco 49ers team who's already eliminated from the playoffs.

Speaker 1: 8:45

And I'm going to close out this week with a game that you'll probably see first, and that's the Chicago Bears taking on the Seattle Seahawks, who, the Seattle Seahawks, still have a chance to win the NFC West Right now. The Rams are in that spot, but they play the Rams late, and so this could be a very important game for them. On the flip side of that coin, chicago Bears have really nothing to play for other than pride and maybe a morale win at the end of the season, knowing that they could play spoiler to a Seattle team who's still fighting to get into the playoffs. I'm going to be honest with you I don't see the Chicago Bears losing this week, which is amazing to say, the performance that they came out with, even though they got beat like 34 to 17 against the Lions.

Speaker 1: 9:38

Caleb looked completely different in his performance, not in the first half. They looked very Caleb-like in the first half. The Bears just looked lethargic in the first half. I don't understand it, but they know how to closealeb like in the first half. The bears just look lethargic in the first half. I don't understand it, but they know how to close the gap in the second half. And I think that they can do something different at home against the seattle team that has been sliding, losing their last two and really fighting for that playoff spot. So I'm gonna go with the chicago bears and I say I'm gonna go with the chicago, but I'm actually not going to do a spreading the field this week.

Speaker 1: 10:09

Since most of the season I've only been slightly better than a coin flip all year. I'm actually just going to retire the segment for the rest of the season. But I will share my thoughts. I think the Lions get a win against the 49ers. I do think the Packers will upset the Minnesota Vikings and throw the division into all kinds of chaos, and then the Bears will also get a win this week against the Seattle Seahawks. All right, guys. That is all for the show this week. I appreciate you coming along and listening. If you decide to come back, which I hope you do, make sure you got your bags packed because we are headed north. I'm Detron Peace. Are you still talking about football? Yeah, the Battalion, nfc North. The list of football.