In a bit of a twist, Green Bay Packers fans were thankful for something that the Minnesota Vikings did in their Week 17 matchup with the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day.
Thanks to the Vikings getting a win over the Lions on Thursday, the Packers were able to clinch a spot in this season's playoffs. With Minnesota's victory, Green Bay fans were able to breathe a little easier, knowing that their team won't be suffering the ultimate collapse of missing the postseason this year.
Despite the Vikings locking up a playoff spot for them, the Packers' path to winning a Super Bowl this season is likely now going to be a lot more difficult to overcome.
Did the Minnesota Vikings just ruin the Super Bowl dreams for the Green Bay Packers?
Not only did Green Bay clinch a spot in the playoffs with Minnesota's win on Thursday, but the outcome also resulted in Detroit being eliminated from qualifying for the postseason.
With the Lions no longer able to grab a playoff spot, there's a good chance that they will rest a bunch of their most notable players in the team's regular-season finale next week against the Chicago Bears to make sure no one suffers a completely avoidable injury in a meaningless game.
The Packers can still capture the NFC North crown this year if they win both of their final two games and the Bears lose out. Chicago is a three-point underdog in a primetime road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, while Green Bay is favored by 4.5 points in its upcoming contest on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, according to the latest odds from the FanDuel Sportsbook.
If the Packers win and the Bears lose this weekend, then the NFC North will be determined by the results of each team's Week 18 matchups. To win the division, Green Bay will need a victory on the road over Minnesota and a Chicago loss to Detroit.
But with the Lions likely to rest a bunch of starters, it shouldn't be difficult for the Bears to get a win and prevent the Packers from finishing the regular season in first place in the NFC North.
So thanks to the Vikings getting a big victory over Detroit on Thursday, Green Bay will likely have to enter the 2025 playoffs as a wild-card team and not get a chance to host a playoff game at Lambeau Field.
Oops.