Here’s how the Packers can still win the NFC North: Must-win with Detroit up next

The Green Bay Packers kept things rolling on Thanksgiving night, throttling Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins offense for the team's third straight win. Green Bay now sits at 9-3, and has more or less locked up a Wild Card spot at the very least. But after the way last season ended, this team's bar is set much higher — and the best way to break through to the Super Bowl is to ensure that other NFC contenders have to come to Lambeau Field in January.

But there's just one problem on that front: The Detroit Lions just can't seem to lose right now, sitting two games clear of the Packers at 11-1 after their own Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears. It's hard to overstate how much is riding on this divisional race over the season's final few weeks; Jared Goff and the Detroit offense is far, far scarier in the controlled climate (and raucous home crowd) of Ford Field than they are in sub-zero temperatures. But how much of a chance does Green Bay have to track down the Lions and shuffle up the NFC playoff picture? Let's take a look.

How Packers can catch the Lions in the NFC North race

Here's how things stand in the division after Thanksgiving:

1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
2. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
3. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
4. Chicago Bears (4-8)

The biggest obstacles to a division title for the Packers right now are head-to-head tiebreakers, as Green Bay lost its first meetings with both the Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. But Matt LaFleur's team will have a chance to avenge each of those losses in the coming weeks, starting next Thursday night in Detroit. From there, the Pack travel to the Seattle Seahawks before a home date with the New Orleans Saints, another road trip to Minnesota and a home date with the Bears to close out the regular season.

New Orleans and Chicago wouldn't seem to be much of a threat, which means that, even if Green Bay loses in Seattle, this NFC North race will likely come down to the team's two remaining divisional games. It's hard to imagine a path to the crown if the Packers lose even one of those games, given the ground the team has to make up and the tiebreaker implications involved. But even though both games are on the road, you'd have to like Green Bay's chances: The Lions are awfully wobbly as injuries have decimated their defense, and the Vikings haven't been able to get out of third gear on offense as Sam Darnold starts looking a lot like the draft bust he was prior to arriving in Minnesota.

If the Packers do win both of those games, a 4-1 finish could very well be good enough to get the job done. Detroit would need to lose just one more time, with games against the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Vikings on tap, while the Vikings have the Cardinals, Falcons, Seahawks and Lions left. Those are pretty tricky schedules, and it's not hard to imagine, say, Detroit losing to Buffalo, Minnesota and Green Bay and opening the door for the Packers to finish 13-4 and snag the division. Divisional record will be used as the second tiebreaker, and Green Bay has some ground to make up with the Lions at 3-0. If the Packers win on Thursday and get some help from the Vikings in their remaining game against Detroit, though, look out.