How Should the Packers Handle Player Health After Securing A Playoff Berth?

The Green Bay Packers are headed back to the playoffs for the third consecutive season under Jordan Love, thanks to (checks notes) the Minnesota Vikings.

Green Bay entered Week 17 with two paths to clinch a playoff spot: a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, or a Detroit Lions loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas. The Vikings handled the dirty work, knocking off Detroit 23-10 and officially sending the Green and Gold to the playoffs.

The Packers will now step into the spotlight against Baltimore on Saturday with a playoff berth already in their back pocket, which takes some of the pressure off and eases the stakes. Naturally, one of the biggest talking points among the fanbase will be player health and whether Green Bay should consider resting some starters, especially after listing 20 players on the injury report this week — a situation that became even more dire with the announcement that Love would not play on Saturday.

That said, as long as the NFC North title remains within reach, Green Bay will continue to put its best possible lineup on the field.

At 9-5-1, Green Bay sits behind Chicago (11-4) in the NFC North, while Minnesota and Detroit have fallen to 8-8 and are officially out of the playoff picture. Even with a postseason spot secured, the Packers still have meaningful incentives over the final two weeks against Baltimore and Minnesota.

If Green Bay wins out and Chicago stumbles against the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit, the Packers would win the division for the first time since 2021. That scenario would also secure a home playoff game.

The calculus could change quickly, though. A loss to the Ravens or a Bears win over the San Francisco 49ers would effectively remove any tangible stakes from Week 18, opening the door to a more conservative approach against Minnesota — particularly when it comes to managing snaps for starters.

LaFleur’s team finds itself in a markedly different position than it did a year ago. In 2024, the Packers entered Week 18 with their postseason berth locked in, unable to climb higher than the sixth seed regardless of the result. Green Bay still opened that game against the Chicago Bears with its starters, but Jordan Love was pulled in the second quarter after injuring his elbow.

Christian Watson went on to tear his ACL later that same afternoon, an injury that ended his season and sidelined him for the first seven weeks of 2025. It was a devastating blow for Green Bay’s offense, which he suffered in a game that offered little competitive upside. The Packers felt his absence immediately. They lacked a true vertical threat in their 22-10 Wild Card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This year, the stakes are materially different. With the division title and playoff seeding still in play, Green Bay’s approach to player usage requires a more nuanced balance between competitive urgency and long-term health management.

Winning the NFC North — and potentially securing the No. 2 seed — could allow the Packers to avoid a road trip to Philadelphia, assuming the Buffalo Bills take care of their business against the Eagles in Week 17. That would allow them to bypass two of San Francisco, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Los Angeles Rams in the early rounds. That calculus is far removed from the near-no-win scenario they faced in Week 18 a season ago.

As long as the division remains within reach, Green Bay should continue to put its best players on the field. If the Packers enter Week 18 with no remaining path to winning the NFC North, however, shifting toward resting starters would be prudent.

There is also a recent precedent for that approach. Last season, the Rams entered Week 18 already guaranteed a home game in the Wild Card round. While they did not yet know whether they would finish as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, Los Angeles chose to rest key starters.

A week later, that decision paid off. The Rams dismantled a Minnesota team coming off a high-leverage Sunday night game against Detroit for the division, illustrating how, when Week 18 carries no tangible stakes, preserving health can outweigh any marginal benefit of live reps.

Winning the NFC North is Green Bay’s top priority. If that goal slips out of reach, the focus should shift to getting into January as healthy as possible, especially with the Packers already set to be without Tucker Kraft, Elgton Jenkins, Devonte Wyatt, and Micah Parsons.

Now add to that the offense’s leader in Jordan Love, although fortunately the Packers have one of the league’s best backups in Malik Willis, who should be good to go. Good thing, too, because Zach Tom, Evan Williams, Josh Jacobs, and Christian Watson have all been managing injuries in recent weeks. Green Bay cannot afford to lose any more key contributors if it hopes to make a legitimate postseason run.