The Packers fall again to a top NFC team, while the Vikings fight for the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed with a win

The Green Bay Packers have the strange and mostly useless status of having perhaps the worst losses of any NFL team in recent memory.

The Packers have lost five games. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 13-2, twice to the Detroit Lions 12-2 and after Sunday twice to the Vikings 13-2. There is no terrible loss on her resume. And that mostly tells us that the Packers are good, but it won’t matter much if they can’t beat any of the NFC’s top three teams.

The Packers failed again on Sunday, losing 27-25 to the Vikings. This means that the Vikings’ game against the Lions in Week 18 will be for the NFC North title and the winner will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Vikings dominated the first three quarters, then let the Packers back into the game in the fourth quarter. The Packers cut the Vikings’ lead to two points with less than three minutes left, giving hope to the Lions, who could have won the NFC North with a win Monday night combined with a Vikings loss. But the Vikings were able to hold on. Cam Akers made a great catch on third-and-2 for a first down, allowing Minnesota to kill the rest of the clock. Sam Darnold continued his outstanding play with 377 yards.

The Packers are 11-5 and look to be one of the better teams in the NFL. But it won’t matter much until they show they can beat one of the teams ahead of them in the NFC standings.

The Vikings dominated the Packers for three quarters

The Packers have been playing well lately, making them a popular underdog. Minnesota was a slight favorite or underdog against the Packers, despite having two losses at home and having already beaten the Packers at Lambeau Field earlier in the season.

This betting line did not take into account the fact that the Vikings were the better team all season. They were there again on Sunday.

The Vikings defense was very good in the first half. Jordan Love, who has been playing very well lately, only had 45 yards at halftime. Sam Darnold had 184 and a touchdown at halftime.

The Vikings benefited from a huge penalty at the end of the first half. Will Reichard missed a 55-yard field goal on the final play of the half, but there was a questionable offside penalty for the Packers. Reichard got another chance and hit a 50-yarder. The Vikings led 13-3 at halftime.

The Packers fell behind 20-3 early in the third quarter as Darnold pushed them further and further ahead. Despite all the good things the Packers have done this season, they still seem to be a step behind the NFL’s truly elite teams.

Packers rally in the 4th quarter

The Packers seemingly got back into the game with a Josh Jacobs touchdown in the third quarter, which cut the Vikings’ lead to 20-10. But Minnesota responded immediately with Darnold’s third touchdown, which went to running back Cam Akers.

Green Bay rallied in the fourth quarter after the game looked like a bust. Love got hot and led the Packers to two touchdowns in the final seven minutes, giving Vikings fans some nervous moments. But the Packers failed to get the final stop they needed to give Love a chance to win the game.

The Packers didn’t have much to play for on Sunday. They couldn’t beat the Lions or Vikings for the division title. The Packers were playing for the seed as a wild card team, but that shouldn’t matter much as long as the Packers don’t fall to No. 7 and face a tough game against the Eagles early in the playoffs.

That could be a reason why the Packers didn’t look at their best for most of Sunday, but what’s a concern is their 0-5 record against the NFC’s top three teams. Based on this, they seem to be a very good, but not great, team.

Things can change in the playoffs. The Packers have the talent to pull off some surprises and make a run. But there’s a reason the Lions and Vikings will play for the division title in the regular-season finale. They have shown in the four combined meetings against the Packers that they play on a different level than Green Bay.