The Packers' playoff hopes might be on life support, but if anyone can revive them, it's Aaron Rodgers. 

After getting medically cleared on Tuesday, Rodgers is expected to return to the field for this week's game against the Panthers, which is good news for the Packers because they don't really have any margin for error over the final three weeks of the season. 

To get to the playoffs the Packers are going to have to beat some improbable odds, but that might not be a problem for Rodgers because he seems to specialize in it. Remember, this is the same quarterback who took Green Bay from 4-6 to an NFC North title in 2016 by leading the Packers to a win in each of their final six games. 

Unfortunately for the Packers, though, winning the rest of their games this year won't be enough to get them in the postseason, they're going to need some help. 

So how much help will they need? 

Let's look at what needs to happen to get the Packers to the playoffs. Although there are multiple scenarios where Green Bay could get in, we're going to look at the simplest ways for them to get the fifth or sixth seed in the NFC. 

How the Packers can earn the NFC's No. 5 seed

Let's start with the obvious: The Packers need to win out, winning in Carolina on Sunday, at home against the Vikings the next week, then at the Lions. If that happens, they'll have the head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Seahawks and the Panthers. At that point, it would become as simple as finishing in a tie at 10-6 with both of those teams. 

Here's what would need to happen: 

  1. Packers win out to finish 10-6
  2. Panthers (9-4) go 1-2 with their only win coming against Atlanta in Week 17 to finish 10-6
  3. Seahawks (8-5) go 2-1 over the final three weeks to finish 10-6. 

In this scenario, the 10-6 Packers would get the fifth seed over Carolina and Seattle due to head-to-head wins. The other bonus here is that it wouldn't matter if the Falcons finish 10-6. Although Atlanta has a head-to-head win over Green Bay, a Packers win over the Panthers this week would nullify that. 

If the Panthers beat the Falcons in Week 17, that would give them the season-sweep over Atlanta and eliminate the Falcons in any wild-card tie-breaking scenario because divisional ties are broken first. That would leave the Panthers, Seahawks and Packers, with the Panthers being the odd team out in that scenario. 

The Packers also would get in with a four-way Packers/Panthers/Falcons/Rams tie that includes the Rams at 10-6 and the Seahawks as the NFC West winner. Final NFC seeding in this scenario: 1. Eagles 2. Vikings. 3. Saints 4. Rams/Seahawks 5. Packers 6. Rams/Panthers/Seahawks.

How the Packers can earn the NFC's No. 6 seed

The easiest way to the sixth seed will be if the Seahawks and Rams both finish 11-5. 

Here's what would need to happen: 

  1. Packers win out to finish 10-6
  2. Panthers go 1-2 with their only win coming against Atlanta in Week 17 to finish 10-6
  3. Seahawks go 3-0 over final three weeks to finish 11-5
  4. Rams go 2-1 -- with a loss to Seattle -- over the final three weeks to finish 11-5 

If this happens, the Seahawks would win the NFC West at 11-5, the Rams would get the fifth seed and the Packers would win a tiebreaker with the Panthers. The Packers also would win a three-way tiebreaker with the Falcons and Panthers as long as Carolina beats the Falcons in Week 17. Final NFC seeding in this scenario: 1. Eagles 2. Vikings. 3. Saints 4. Seahawks 5. Rams 6. Packers. 

The downside of all this is that our statistical computer doesn't feel good about any of this happening. According to SportsLine, the Packers have just an 11.3 percent chance of making the postseason. 

The uglier part is that the Packers could actually be eliminated this week. If the Packers lose to the Panthers and the Falcons beat the Buccaneers, the Packers will be officially eliminated, which would likely raise some questions in Green Bay about whether or not Rodgers should finish the season as the team's starting quarterback. 

Note: The Packers also could get in the playoffs with a 9-7 record, but that would take a minor miracle. In that scenario, the Falcons lose out to go 8-8. The Panthers go 11-5 or 12-4 to get the fifth seed. After that, the second-place team in the NFC West (either the Seahawks or Rams) has to finish 9-7 or worse. If all that happened, then the Packers would steal the sixth seed with a 9-7 record. 

For more on the postseason, be sure to check out this week's playoff projections.