Packers playoff picture: How Green Bay clinched NFC wild-card spot in Week 18

Vinnie Iyer

•
Packers playoff picture: How Green Bay clinched NFC wild-card spot in Week 18 image

The Packers came out of Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season doing what they couldn't in 2022 — win to lock down a wild-card berth in the NFC playoffs.

Green Bay finished 9-8, an improvement on the 8-9 record it had a year ago This time, the team made the playoffs in Jordan Love's first full season as the top QB.

Here's what happened as the Packers punched a playoff ticket on Sunday:

Packers playoff picture

At 9-8, the Packers are positioned as the No. 7 and third wild-card team in the NFC going into the playoffs, set to face Mike McCarthy and the Packers in the first round of the playoffs. They stayed ahead of No. 8 Seahawks and No. 9 Saints, who both also won to improve to 9-8, based on holding the three-way tiebreaker.

Vinnie Iyer

Vinnie Iyer Photo

Vinnie Iyer, has been with TSN since 1999, not long after graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He has produced NFL content for more than 20 years, turning his attention to full-time writing in 2007. A native of St. Louis, Mo. but now a long-time resident of Charlotte, N.C. Vinnie’s top two professional sports teams are Cardinals and Blues, but he also carries purple pride for all things Northwestern Wildcats. He covers every aspect of the NFL for TSN including player evaluations, gambling and fantasy football, where he is a key contributor. Vinnie represents TSN as host of the “Locked On Fantasy Football” podcast on the Locked On network. Over his many years at TSN, he’s also written about MLB, NBA, NASCAR, college football, tennis, horse racing, film and television. His can’t-miss program remains “Jeopardy!”, where he was once a three-day champion and he is still avid about crossword puzzles and trivia games. When not watching sports or his favorite game show, Vinnie is probably watching a DC, Marvel or Star Wars-related TV or movie.