NFC Playoff Race Heats Up: Detroit Leads, Packers Fight

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00:00There's only five weeks remaining in this regular season.

00:06It is now December.

00:08Those playoff pictures in the in the hunt graphics mean even more this month in this

00:14time of year.

00:16Detroit wins last night.

00:17They are 12 and one.

00:19They have won 11 consecutive games.

00:21They maintain that number one overall seed in the NFC postseason picture.

00:26We'll talk about the top of the charts, Joe, between Detroit and Philadelphia in just a

00:31moment.

00:32But although Green Bay lost last night, hampering any hope for the Packers to maybe come back

00:38and win the NFC North, and they are pretty much now aligned to be a playoff team, but

00:44in a wild card scenario, Joe, I don't think you could look at the Packers last night,

00:49the effort and the offense in Detroit and say that this team is not a playoff team and

00:55maybe not worthy of being a contender in the NFC.

00:59The Packers look pretty darn good, and currently they're in that sixth spot, the second of

01:05three NFC wildcard positions.

01:08And I'm just going to make this point.

01:09You really want to be in the five or the sixth spot in that NFC playoff picture because look

01:15at those other divisional leaders at the moment occupying the three and the four seats.

01:21Joe, there's a chance the champion of the NFC West is a game or two above 500.

01:27There's a chance the winner of the NFC South could be below 500 or more than likely just

01:32a game above it.

01:34So to be in those wildcard spots, sure, you don't have home field advantage.

01:37Yes, you must go on the road to start off the postseason, but for teams like Minnesota

01:43and Green Bay, the Packers proved last night to me, they are a true contender who can make

01:49some playoff noise.

01:51Yeah, but at the same time, Ben, they played a great half of football last night because

01:59you can't have a $220 million quarterback, your franchise quarterback, go three of seven

02:06in the first half, Ben, for what, 41 yards, 31 yards, in fact?

02:12He played great in the second half, 12 of 20, 206 on the night, 9 of 13, a buck 75,

02:19three touchdowns in the second half.

02:22It was their inability to show up in the first half, Ben, that cost them that game, and you

02:28and I both know come playoff time, that's not going to work against a better competition.

02:34You had every reason to go out there and do what you did in the second half, the entire

02:39game against that depleted defense, and you took the first half off.

02:43And we've seen that before from this Green Bay team, which is why now they're on the

02:48outside looking in of a division crown.