There is still a not-unrealistic scenario by which the 5-8 Green Bay Packers can make the playoffs. Here’s how it would look:
They have to win the remaining three games against Jacksonville, Chicago, and Detroit. Chicago must lose at least one of its other two games against New Orleans and Houston. And Minnesota must lose against Arizona, Atlanta, and the Giants. This is not implausible – the weakest links are the next two Green Bay games, both of which would be upsets but not dramatic upsets. If that happens, Green Bay would be the #4 seed in the NFC playoffs and would host the #5 wild card.
I’ve also heard a rumor that Jerry Buss was buying a controlling interest in the Jacksonville Jaguars with an eye towards moving that team to Los Angeles and building a stadium in an old quarry in Irwindale. I don’t really put a lot of faith in that rumor; something like that has been swirling around for about three years now, since the Jaguars have fallen into mediocrity. But it’s interesting – it would leave Los Angeles with only one home-grown franchise in the four traditional major sports, the Kings. The Galaxy would also be a home-grown franchise and technically, so would the Angels and the Ducks but those two are down in the O.C. Yeah, I’d go see a Los Angeles Jaguars game. But I don’t really think I ever will have the opportunity.
But for now, I can hold out for eight games over three weeks to go exactly right, and that’s enough.
UPDATE: So much for that theory.
Jerry Buss cannot afford an NFL team. He is certainly not poor, but he is not cash rich either, his wealth now mostly comes from the Lakers.