Win out and you're in the playoffs.
In the final game of 2023, the Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 33-10 on Sunday Night Football to make Week 18 even more intriguing.
Green Bay led 23-3 in Minnesota at the halftime, its largest such lead at that stage since 1984. Jordan Love shined throughout while the Vikings shuffled through quarterbacks but couldn't change the outcome.
With the result, the Packers moved to 8-8 and can clinch a playoff berth with a win at home versus the Chicago Bears in Week 18. Minnesota, 7-9, isn't eliminated just yet, but it'll need a lot to fall in place to do so.
Let's analyze the game further with three takeaways:
Jordan Love stands out under the lights
The Packers must have plenty of optimism for their future under Love after his stellar showing in tough conditions. The 25-year-old delivered the best performance of the night, completing 24 of 33 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. He also ran in a touchdown.
NFL
He'll now need to come up big at home against the Bears to get his team in the playoffs when not many expected them to be at this stage. He already came up big versus Chicago in the season opener when Green Bay won 38-20. Love in that game completed 15 of 27 passes for 245 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.
The Bears have turned things around since and are a much better team. They'll also be looking to spoil Green Bay's hopes, so Love will need to be on it.
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Vikings get QB decision wrong
There's been a quarterback carousel in Minnesota since Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. Head coach Kevin O'Connell opted to hand fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall the start, but it did not prove fruitful in a must-win scenario.
Hall completed five of 10 passes for 67 yards, no touchdowns and one pick while taking three sacks for a loss of 28. Hall was hooked at halftime for Nick Mullens, a real boom-or-bust quarterback. Either it somehow works or he causes erratic turnovers. Mullens completed 13 of 22 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown and no picks.
Who knows how the game would've turned out had Mullens started from the get-go, but Minnesota essentially wasted the first half testing Hall when it needed a veteran who gave the team a better chance of winning.
Could the Packers challenge in the NFC?
Let's play with some theoretical scenarios. If the Packers clinch the No. 7 seed, could they compete as a wild card team? They'd likely meet the No. 2 Dallas Cowboys should Dallas win at the Washington Commanders. It'd be an uphill climb since Dallas has not lost at home this season, but the Detroit Lions battle showed they are vulnerable against a balanced offense.
Perhaps Green Bay's inexperience would be its downfall since it is the youngest group in the league, and Dallas has been in these environments in recent times. But there's no doubt the lessons the squad learns could be valuable as it retools for 2024 and Love's second year under center.
