Before the last NFL game day, the fight for the playoffs comes to a head. Especially in the NFC there should be a sting and stabbing, because there is only one place left for the postseason. A match schedule is met with incomprehension by many fans.
The NFL has scheduled the NFC North cracker between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions as a Sunday Night Game and thus pushed it into prime time. Both teams can still reach the playoffs, so coupled with the already great rivalry of the division opponents, this appointment makes sense in itself.
However, fairness falls by the wayside. The Seattle Seahawks could suffer. Head coach Pete Carroll’s men are the third remaining playoff candidate in the NFC and are already playing in the second slot on Sunday.
To have a chance of postseason, the Seahawks would need to win and then hope for a Lions win. However, with a possible Seahawks victory, they would suddenly have no chance themselves in the fight for the playoffs.
Many NFL fans therefore suspect that Seattle’s own win could rob the Lions of the motivation they themselves depend on to secure the last place in the postseason before the Packers.
Criticism of the NFL still without result
The only sensible option for fans and experts is therefore actually to let both games take place at the same time in order to prevent a possible distortion of the competition. However, this seems to be falling on deaf ears in the NFL.
Incidentally, the Green Bay Packers are very relaxed about the whole thing. The team around superstar Aaron Rodgers “only” has to win their own game against the Detroit Lions for a place in the playoffs.
With a win, the Packers would have at least the same record as the Seahawks and since there is no direct comparison, the record in the conference is decisive. A win against the Lions would definitely be better than the Seahawks’ record.