The Green Bay Packers put together one of their best games of the season on Monday Night Football. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 24-12, but the game was not nearly as close as that score indicates. The Packers actually took a knee at the Rams 1-yard line as they ran the final eight plus minutes of the game off the clock, leaving Aaron Rodgers' looking up.
With the win, Green Bay improved to 6-8 and kept the door open for a backdoor NFC playoff berth. Most people wrote this team off for dead a few weeks ago, but there is reason for optimism. The run game is finally beginning to look like what we all thought it would. Christian Watson has continued to emerge as a legitimate threat in the passing game. Most importantly, Aaron Rodgers has looked more like himself.
Here are the three reasons the Packers are NFL playoff sleepers after their Week 15 win over the Rams.
3. AJ Dillon Finally Looking Like AJ Dillon
Last season, Packers tailback AJ Dillon formed arguably the most lethal one-two combination of NFL backfields alongside Aaron Jones. It was expected that with Davante Adams gone, the Packers offense would run even more through the ground game.
It hasn't been for a lack of trying, but Dillon and Green Bay's rushing attack had been a disappointment for most of this season. After a solid Week 1 performance, Dillon did not find the end zone until Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the last three weeks, he has found pay dirt four times, including twice against the Rams Monday.
Dillon and Jones act as their version of the old New York Giants' ‘thunder and lightning.' The bruising back out of Boston College had struggled in short yardage situations all season but appears to have got his groove back. When this running game is hard to stop, it opens things up for Rodgers and the aerial attack with limited weapons.
2. Packers WR Christian Watson A Legitimate Threat
There was plenty made of the lack of experience among the Packers receivers this year. Rodgers previously called out some of his rookie receivers for either lack of production or ability to make plays. That even prompted some of them to clap back, albeit through backdoor channels out of the media.
But over the last month or so, things have sounded very differently in Green Bay. Rodgers appears much more content with the youthful Packers receivers. A lot of that has to do with the emergence of Christian Watson.
The rookie wide receiver out of North Dakota State had a very slow start to the year. He actually dropped a wide open touchdown pass on the first play of the season. He then dealt with a number of injuries that cost him the middle of the season. But over the last five games, he has begun an integral part of the Packers offense.
From Week 10 through Week 13, Watson scored seven touchdowns. He led the NFL during that stretch. He did it in a number of ways, running a number of different routes in the route tree. His breakaway speed was utilized on the ground as well as he rushed for a 46-yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears.
Following their Week 14 bye, Rodgers once again looked his way in the red area. Despite not cashing in this week, the fact that Rodgers continues to look his way is a great sign that he has earned the Hall of Fame quarterback's trust.
1. The Schedule Creates Opportunity
I am not going to sugar coat it. It is still a long shot that the Packers make the NFC playoffs. But if you look deeper, there is certainly a path.
Currently, the Washington Commanders hold the #7 seed. Their win against the Packers should have made it nearly impossible to pass them. But because they tied the New York Giants, that tie-breaker is meaningless. This weekend, the Commanders travel to San Francisco to face a red-hot 49ers team. Obviously, there is a great chance they drop that game. They then finish with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, neither of which are locks.
The Detroit Lions stand between the Packers and Commanders. The Lions are playing as well as any team in the NFL right now. They have won six of their last seven games, but it's still the Lions. Let's assume they beat Carolina and Chicago the next two weeks. They finish their season at Lambeau Field against the Packers.
It will not be easy for Green Bay to clinch a playoff berth. They need to win out against the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Lions. The Dolphins game is on the road and probably poses the toughest test. However, if the Packers win that game, there is a chance the Vikings have nothing to play for in Week 17.
That could set up a winner-take-all against the Lions in Week 18.
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