Green Bay Packers Improve Playoff Chances With Win Over San Francisco 49ers

The Green Bay Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-17 on Thursday night, taking a giant step closer to returning to the playoffs this season. Improving their record to 6-2, the defending NFC North champions are considered virtual guarantees to make the postseason.

In the aftermath of the Week 9 win, Green Bay has been given a 95% chance to make the playoffs by FiveThirtyEight. The Packers had an 83% chance to reach the postseason before Thursday’s contest.

FiveThirtyEight also gives Green Bay a 74% chance of winning the division. The Packers had a 63% chance of winning the NFC North before kickoff.

Green Bay is only halfway through its 2020 schedule, but the team is in a position to potentially pull away from the rest of the NFC North. The Chicago Bears are one game behind the Packers for first place. Chicago is on a two-game losing streak, and the Bears are sizable underdogs against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The Bears appear to be fading, and they might be the Packers' only real threat in the division. The Detroit Lions are 3-4 and are underdog in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, who sit in last place with a 2-5 record. However, Minnesota did manage to upset Green Bay in Week 8.

Even if the Bears or another NFC North team manages to overtake the Packers in the division, Green Bay can grab one of the conference’s three wild-card spots. Green Bay owns the tiebreaker over the New Orleans Saints, who are currently a wild-card team and lost to the Packers in Week 3.

Aaron Rodgers has carried Green Bay with MVP-level play. The quarterback is second in the NFL with 24 touchdown passes and a 117.5 passer rating.

The Packers won the NFC North last season with a 13-3 record and came one win away from reaching the Super Bowl.