Packers hit the home stretch: How many wins can Jordan Love lead Green Bay to before the playoffs?

Plenty of Packers fans would have been thrilled to know their team would get off to a 9-3 start before the 2024 regular season kicked off. The problem for Green Bay is that nine wins is only good enough for third in the NFC North. Quarterback Jordan Love only have five remaining regular season games to play if they want to close the gap on the Lions and Vikings.

The Packers do have two remaining games left against the teams ahead of them in the division. They represent opportunities for Green Bay to control their own destiny. The problem is that both the Vikings and Lions are ahead of them in the standings due to their own sterling play.

The Packers are in good position to snag a Wild Card berth, but every game they have left is a must-win if they want to gain ground in the NFC North. Read on to see how Green Bay will fare in each of their remaining regular season contests.

Packers Week 14 matchup at Lions: Loss

The Lions have already won at Green Bay this year which makes it clear they will be favorites at home against their division rivals. The Packers will need to play something close to a perfect game if they want to knock off Detroit on their home field.

In particular, Love would need to play like an All-Pro against a Lions' defense that held him to 14 points just a few weeks ago. Detroit's physicality up front was a huge problem for Green Bay in their first matchup. Love was harassed in the pocket and was unable to get into a solid rhythm as a result.

The second matchup between the two NFC powers will represent solid progress for the Packers. They will give Love more time to throw and that will allow him more chances to hit the sort of deep throws he thrives on. It won't quite be enough to knock off the consensus best team in the NFL. The Lions are going to win this game by one score which will effectively relegate Green Bay to work on catching the Vikings for a higher Wild Card seed rather than a division title.

Packers Week 15 matchup at Seahawks: Win

Flying out to the west coast to take on the Seahawks is never easy. The fact that Seattle is in the midst of a tense battle for the NFC West crown only adds to the challenge the Packers will be faciing in Week 15.

Green Bay's secondary will be under a ton of scrutiny as they try to compete with the talent Seattle has at wide receiver. D.K. Metcalf is always a mismatch and the Packers don't have a cornerback on the roster who can handle him in single coverage. Constantly double-teaming him opens up space for Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to carve up lesser cornerbacks. Seattle will take advantage of Green Bay's overmatched corners to score points in this one.

The good news for the Packers is that they have enough offensive firepower to emerge victorious. Josh Jacobs will get a lot of work in an effort to keep the ball away from the Seahawks. He'll go over 100 yards on the ground in a bruising effort. That effort will permit Love to hit just enough explosive plays to scratch out a one-score victory on the road.

Packers Week 16 matchup against Saints: Win

The Packers finally return to the comfortable confines of Lambeau Field to play New Orleans in Week 16. The weather should be a challenge for a Saints team that's more accustomed to playing indoors. Even if snow isn't in the forecast the Packers should be able to handle the low temperatures better than their visitors.

Derek Carr has good, but note elite arm strength. That makes playing in cold weather difficult for him. That's news to the ears of a safety like Xavier McKinney. He'll try to bait Carr into turnovovers all game long. Don't be surprised if he turns one of Carr's errant throws into a crucial interception.

The Saints will hang around in the first half but Green Bay has too much talent and too much to play for. They will end up winning this game by two or three scores in front of their home fans.

Packers Week 17 matchup at Vikings: Loss

Week 17 provides another chance for the Packers to avenge a loss to a division rival. The Vikings edged out a crucial early-season win at Green Bay by a final score of 31-29.

Fans were just starting to figure out how well Sam Darnold was leading the Minnesota offense back then. His play has dipped sharply sense. He's still playing like a solid starter but he's not the elite quarterback he appeared to be earlier in the campaign.

He will still have just enough to protect his team's against the Packers. This will be another close loss that Green Bay feels like it should have won. It might also prevent them from moving ahead of Minnesota for a better postseason seed.

Packers Week 18 matchup against Bears: Win

Green Bay learned their lesson about taking Chicago lightly after escaping the Windy City with a blocked field goal as time expired earlier this year. The Bears will suffer from losing the element of surprise in the regular season finale for both teams.

Love will take this game into his own hands early to make sure his team heads into the playoffs with momentum. Caleb Williams might be able to scramble around and make some plays long enough to keep his team in it for a half. In the end the Packers will pull away because of their advantage in terms of talent and motivation.