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Biden campaign staffers issue letter protesting Israel-Hamas war, call for cease-fire, end of aid to Israel

Over a dozen of President Biden’s campaign staffers, hired to re-elect the president, issued an anonymous letter Wednesday, protesting Biden’s approach to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

In a letter shared on Medium, 17 current Biden for President staffers called for Biden to advocate for an immediate cease-fire in the war started by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas’ surprise attack on innocent Israelis.

‘As your staff, we believe it is both a moral and electoral imperative for you to publicly call for a cessation of violence,’ the staffers wrote in the letter.

The anonymous letter argued that the deaths of Palestinians ‘cannot be justified.’

‘Complicity in the death of over 20,000 Palestinians, 8,200 of whom are children, simply cannot be justified.’

The staffers said that Israel’s ‘indiscriminate’ bombings in Gaza are ‘fundamentally antithetical’ to Biden’s belief in justice, empathy and the dignity of human life.

‘We joined this campaign because the values that you — and we — share are ones worth fighting for. Justice, empathy, and our belief in the dignity of human life is the backbone of not only the Democratic Party, but of the country,’ the letter said. ‘However, your administration’s response to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing in Gaza has been fundamentally antithetical to those values — and we believe it could cost you the 2024 election.’

In addition to calling for an immediate cease-fire, the 17 individuals urged Biden’s administration to end unconditional military aid to Israel and advocated for a deescalation in the region, including the release of hostages.

The letter also urged the Democratic president to investigate whether Israel’s actions in Gaza violate the Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. military from funding foreign military forces implicated in gross violations of human rights.

The aides argued that a majority of Democrats support an end to Israel’s bombings in Gaza.

‘Americans, especially young Americans, feel extraordinarily passionate about this issue. In fact, 72% of voters under 30 — a key Democratic voting bloc — disapprove of your handling of the conflict in Gaza,’ the letter said.

The staffers argued that it is not ‘merely enough to be an alternative to Donald Trump,’ but Biden needs to support a cease-fire.

‘It is not enough to merely be the alternative to Donald Trump,’ the letter said. ‘The campaign has to shift the feeling in the pits of voters’ stomachs, the same feeling that weighs on us every day as we fight for your reelection. The only way to do that is to call for a cease-fire.’

Earlier in Dec, dozens of staffers protested their boss’s Israel policy.

‘Ceasefire’ was spelled out with lit candles in front of the protesters with a sign behind them reading, ‘President Biden, your staff demands a cease-fire.’

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Haley pushes back but does not categorically rule out being Trump’s running mate

RYE, N.H. – Nikki Haley says derogatory suggestions in recent weeks by two of her top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination that she’s hoping to serve as former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate are a clear signal they are ‘losing.’

But Haley, the former South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, once again passed on an opportunity to categorically deny she would join Trump on the Republican ticket should the former president win the party’s nomination.

In a Fox News Digital interview Tuesday ahead of a town hall in New Hampshire, Haley reiterated she is running to win.

‘I have said from the very beginning I don’t play for second. It’s offensive for anybody to think that I would do all of this to play for second. And so I have said that. I will continue to say that. If people aren’t satisfied with that, I don’t know what else to say,’ Haley said.

Haley has surged in the polls over the past month in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar. And in Iowa, whose Jan. 15 caucuses lead off the Republican schedule, Haley’s pulled even with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the frontrunner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run.

In recent weeks, DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who’s in third place in the latest polls in New Hampshire, have taken aim at Haley for not being vocal enough in her criticism of Trump. Both candidates have argued Haley has an ulterior motive.

‘She will not answer directly, and she owes you an answer to this: Will she accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump? Yes or no?’ DeSantis said at a town hall in New Hampshire last month.

‘I can tell you under any circumstance, I will not accept that because that’s not why I’m running,’ the Florida governor added. ‘I’m running for the nomination and to be president.’

The DeSantis campaign last month launched a website with a URL of trumpnikki2024.com, which included a video suggesting Haley may serve as Trump’s No. 2 in the general election.

Christie, on multiple occasions over the past month, including a town hall in New Hampshire and in a CBS News interview, has emphasized that, ‘Ron DeSantis and I have both ruled out accepting the vice presidency from Donald Trump. Nikki Haley has not.’

‘That’s why she’s not saying strong things against Donald Trump,’ Christie argued.

Haley has frequently repeated that she is not running for second place in the GOP 2024 presidential primary.

And early last month, when a voter at a town hall in Iowa pressed Haley on whether she’d settle for the vice presidential nomination, Haley shook her head and made a throat-slashing gesture.

This week, when asked about the attacks from Christie and DeSantis, Haley told Fox News, ‘They’ve criticized me for everything. Let’s be clear. That’s what happens when you’re losing.

‘We’ve got a race to win. We intend to win it. We’re going to do it fair and square and, at the end of the day, we’re going to make sure America is strong.’

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House GOP majority to shrink again in time for potential government shutdown showdown

The House of Representatives is again teetering on the edge of a government funding showdown as House Republican leaders prepare for their majority to be whittled down to just two.

Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, confirmed to Fox News on Tuesday that he will resign from Congress effective Jan. 21 to be Youngstown State University’s next president.

That’s right in the middle of Congress’s two government funding deadlines. Under a continuing resolution (CR) passed late last year, the House and Senate must reach an agreement to fund certain agencies by Jan. 19 and others by Feb. 2. 

But the narrow two-seat margin Johnson will leave behind won’t last long. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., said in November that he would leave Congress in February.

Fox News Digital reached out to Higgins’ office multiple times to ask about an exact resignation date.

If he stays past the first two days of the month, however, House Republicans will have little wiggle room in bipartisan negotiations on avoiding a government shutdown if a plan is not put in place by Feb. 2.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s departure, effective Dec. 31, reduced the GOP to a three-seat majority just days before Johnson’s plans were announced. 

‘Between God, gravity, indictments and retirements, we’re one day away from losing the majority, depending on what happens.’

— Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif

Some House Republicans shrugged it off when asked by Fox News Digital in late December, including GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, who said their situation with Johnson and McCarthy leaving would not be much different than the four-seat majority House Republicans had been operating under for most of 2023.

‘It’s tough to operate in a four-seat [majority], it’s tough to operate in a two-seat [majority]. We’ve got to be judicious in what we get done and do something that we can all get behind,’ Moore said.

But others who spoke to Fox News Digital about McCarthy’s departure were more wary. Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said after McCarthy’s announcement last month, ‘Between God, gravity, indictments and retirements, we’re one day away from losing the majority, depending on what happens.’

Any government funding deal will have to be bipartisan, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., currently working with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on a top-line figure.

But it will be more difficult for Republicans to extract the kind of conservative policies that they fit into several House-passed appropriations bills last year if they can only lose two House Republican votes to pass bills.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Schumer said he is hopeful that a bipartisan deal will be reached in time to avoid a shutdown.

‘We’re getting quite close,’ the New York Democrat said. ‘I’m hopeful that we can get a budget agreement soon, and I’m hopeful that we could avoid a shutdown, given the progress we’ve made. That is certainly not out of the question, as some people have said it would be.’

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The Houthi are a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and here’s what Biden-Blinken team should do about it

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In February 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken delisted the Yemeni Houthi as both a Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). Now, almost exactly three years later, it’s obvious this was a huge mistake.

Blinken took the Houthi off the list just one month after his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, put them on it. Blinken’s rationale was that terrorist designations didn’t have a practical effect on the Houthi, and that delisting them would make it easier to get humanitarian aid into Yemen, as well as to end the Saudi-Houthi war there, which was a top Biden administration priority.

This unfortunate error needs to be reversed. Delisting the Houthi only encouraged their Iran-sponsored terrorist violence against Saudi Arabia and UAE, with almost no response from the United States. 

Now the Houthi have cast themselves as brothers to Hamas, their fellow Iranian proxy terrorists. They’re attacking U.S. Navy vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel’s action against Gaza in a manner that will have consequences for Americans here at home.

Exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, created by the Houthi, was a concern for the Trump administration as well, and there was robust debate over their designation. 

Objections from the State Department on these grounds were strong and sincere, but ultimately the president and secretary decided that the Houthi needed to be called what they were – not militants or rebels, but terrorists who were holding Yemeni civilians hostage and even then posing an intolerable threat to one of the world’s great shipping lanes. Officially designating them as such would enable authorities to take action against them and those supporting them.

Terrorist designations are not messaging devices; they involve a serious interagency process with significant consequences for the groups on the lists. 

One of the most severe under the FTO is action against parties that ‘provide material support’ for a terrorist group, which could range from giving them a sandwich or cigarette to providing them with arms and fighters. Recent reports of an American citizen being prosecuted for providing material support for al-Shabab, an African terrorist group on the FTO list, belies the assumption that the designation has no real impact.

In sympathy with Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Karrem Nasr of New Jersey traveled to Kenya to try to join al-Shabab and wage jihad against America. He was apprehended in Nairobi on Dec. 14 and extradited to the U.S. to face one charge of providing material support to an FTO. 

But if Nasr had plotted to join the Houthi instead (which might have been more logical), there would have been no grounds for such a charge as they are no longer designated, and he would have been able to participate in their drone and ballistic missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea with impunity.

President Biden’s hopes of a diplomatic victory going into the election year in the form of a Yemen peace deal is reportedly why the administration is reluctant to retaliate directly against the Houthi despite their repeated and outrageous provocations. 

This reticence may well be why several European partners are not supporting the Pentagon’s Operation Prosperity Guardian, which would purportedly ensure safe passage of commercial shipping through the Red Sea. If the U.S. is not willing to take the strong actions necessary to actually deter the Houthi and their Iranian enablers, the attacks will continue.

While the U.S. Navy is performing admirably, defending against the Houthi’s barrage, time – and money – is against them. The longer Houthi terrorism is tolerated, the more serious disruptions of global supply chains, notably of food and energy, will become. 

Shipping through the Red Sea is currently at 50% of its normal capacity. The other half of normal traffic is being routed around Africa, which adds another week to the journey. Shipping costs are projected to rise sharply in January – possibly tripling, by some estimates.

Americans getting back into the office in January may therefore find some nasty surprises both at the pump and at the grocery store. As the incident with the Ever Given, which got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days in 2021, demonstrated, any such disruption has far-reaching effects on supply chains, even those that are not actually transiting the Canal as the increased costs and delays ripple through the global economy.

Rather than prioritize an elusive Saudi-Houthi deal, the Biden administration should recognize what inaction against the Houthi could cost Americans here at home, and so re-designate them as both a FTO and a SDGT, and take the necessary actions to deter them from further violence. If they fail to do so, voters may well decide to hold them accountable.

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Maersk halts Red Sea shipping until further notice after Houthi militant attack

Maersk will pause all shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until further notice after one of its vessels came under attack from militants over the weekend, the company announced Tuesday.

The decision by the Danish shipping giant extends a 48-hour pause implemented on Sunday in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

“We have made the decision to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until further notice,” the company said in an update to customers.

Oil prices were volatile Tuesday, jumping more than 2% earlier in the day on Red Sea tensions but later giving up those gains. U.S. crude was last down 82 cents, or 1.14%, to trade at $70.83 a barrel. Brent lost 68 cents, or 0.88%, to trade at $76.36 a barrel.

Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said oil prices do not reflect the increase in tensions because traders are not convinced that a major supply disruption is on the horizon.

“The market is basically saying ‘we will wait and see until something happens,’” Croft told CNBC on Tuesday. “But it’s really getting much more serious every day,” she said of tensions in the region.

The container ship Maersk Hangzhou came under attack over the weekend by four small boats crewed by Houthi militants, who are based in Yemen and backed by Iran.

U.S. Navy helicopters responded to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou and fired on the militants after coming under attack, sinking three boats and killing the crews, according to the U.S. Central Command.

“An investigation into the incident is ongoing and we will continue to pause all cargo movement through the area while we further assess the constantly evolving situation,” Maersk said in its Tuesday update.

Vessels will be rerouted and continue their journey around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa in cases where this makes sense, the company said.

Houthi militants have repeatedly attacked vessels in the Red Sea in recent weeks in response to the war in Gaza. The attacks have raised concern about disruptions to global trade through the crucial waterway.

Some 12% of global trade and about 3 million barrels of crude oil pass through the Red Sea per day, according to RBC Capital Markets.

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Job openings nudged lower in November, down to 1.4 per available worker

Demand for workers fell to its lowest level in more than 2½ years in November while hirings and layoffs both moved lower, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

The department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed employment listings nudged lower to 8.79 million, about in line with the Dow Jones estimate for 8.8 million and the lowest since March 2021. Openings fell by 62,000, though the rate of vacancies as a measure of employment was unchanged at 5.3%.

In addition to the modest move lower in openings, hiring fell by 363,000, moving the rate down to 3.5%, a 0.2 percentage point decline. Layoffs dropped by 116,000, with the rate holding steady at 1%. A report last month from the Labor Department showed a net increase in nonfarm payrolls of 199,000 in November. A report Friday is expected to show growth of 170,000.

The ratio of job openings to available workers fell to 1.4 to 1, still elevated but down sharply from the 2 to 1 level that had been prevalent in 2022. Companies had faced a severe supply-demand mismatch in the period after the Covid pandemic began, a situation that has made gradual progress back to a more normalized state.

Job openings fell by 128,000 for transportation, warehousing and utilities and were off 97,000 in leisure and hospitality. Wholesale trade saw an increase of 63,000 and financial activities grew by 38,000.

Federal Reserve officials watch the JOLTS report for evidence of labor slack. The historically tight labor market had helped push inflation higher, hitting a more than 40-year peak in mid-2022 that also has slowly begun to recede. Policymakers in December indicated they are likely to begin a gradual reduction in interest rates this year if inflation continues to come down.

“Today’s JOLTS data is another signal that the Fed is delivering a soft landing,” said Ron Temple, chief market strategist at Lazard. “Today’s report is good news for American workers and the economy, but it also suggests to me that the Fed is unlikely to cut rates as aggressively in 2024, as markets currently indicate, given the risk of reigniting inflationary pressures.”

A separate report Wednesday showed that the U.S. manufacturing sector is still in contraction.

The ISM manufacturing report for December registered a reading of 47.4, representing the percentage of workers reporting expansion. Anything below 50 indicates contraction. The index was up 0.7 point from November and was slightly better than the 47.2 estimate from Dow Jones.

Employment, however, was a relative bright spot in the report, rising to 48.1, a 2.3-point monthly increase. Order backlogs jumped 6 points to 45 and new export orders rose to 49.9, a 3.9-point acceleration. There also was some positive inflation news as the prices sub-index decreased to 45.2, down 4.7 points.

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Everything we know (and don’t know) about the NFL playoffs

With just one week left in the 2023 NFL season, there is still plenty to be determined about the NFL playoff picture.

There are five available playoff spots across both conferences and 11 teams still mathematically capable of taking those spots. Within the battle for those final playoff spots, there are still four division titles – half of the divisions in the NFL – that have yet to be decided ahead of the Week 18 finale.

Here’s everything we know so far (as well as everything we don’t) including playoff schedule, bracket, seeding and current standings ahead of Sunday’s regular season finales.

The No. 1 seeds in both conferences are set

Though many spots and seeds are up for grabs in both the NFC and AFC, there won’t be a battle for the top seed and playoff bye in either conference.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

By defeating the Dolphins last week, the Ravens clinched the AFC North title as well as the No. 1 seed in the conference. It’s the first time Baltimore has won the division and secured a playoff bye since 2019, when the Ravens went 14-2 and quarterback Lamar Jackson was the unanimous NFL MVP.

Two games in Week 17 decided the top seed in the NFC, as the 49ers got some help from a division rival in clinching the playoff bye. San Francisco defeated the Commanders in Washington, and, thanks to a stunning Cardinals upset win over the Eagles, were able to secure the No. 1 seed.

Which teams are in the NFL playoffs this year?

After Week 17 of the 2023 season, the following teams have clinched a playoff spot, though for many teams, their current seeding is subject to change pending certain Week 18 results.

AFC:

Baltimore Ravens (No. 1)*Miami Dolphins (No. 2)Kansas City Chiefs (No. 3)*Cleveland Browns (No. 5)*

NFC:

San Francisco 49ers (No. 1)*Dallas Cowboys (No. 2)Detroit Lions (No. 3)Philadelphia Eagles (No. 5)Los Angeles Rams (No. 6)

(*) denotes teams locked into their current seed

NFL conference standings

As of the end of Week 17, here’s how things stack up in both conferences, including each team’s percentage chance to make the playoffs (if they haven’t already clinched a spot) according to NFL.com. This list excludes the teams already eliminated from postseason contention.

AFC:

Baltimore RavensMiami DolphinsKansas City ChiefsJacksonville Jaguars (77%)Cleveland BrownsBuffalo Bills (94%)Indianapolis Colts (54%)Houston Texans (46%)Pittsburgh Steelers (29%)

NFC:

San Francisco 49ersDallas CowboysDetroit LionsTampa Bay Buccaneers (69%)Philadelphia EaglesLos Angeles RamsGreen Bay Packers (60%)Seattle Seahawks (26%)New Orleans Saints (31%)Minnesota Vikings (3%)Atlanta Falcons (10%)

2023-24 NFL playoffs bracket

Here’s what the NFL playoff bracket would look like using current standings.

AFC:

No. 1 Baltimore Ravens (bye)No. 2 Miami Dolphins vs. No. 7 Indianapolis ColtsNo. 3 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 6 Buffalo BillsNo. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars vs. No. 5 Cleveland Browns

NFC:

No. 1 San Francisco 49ers (bye)No. 2 Dallas Cowboys vs. No. 7 Green Bay PackersNo. 3 Detroit Lions vs. No. 6 Los Angeles RamsNo. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles

These matchups are still pending several results. Outside of the wild card spots still up for grabs, the NFC South, NFC East, AFC South and AFC East titles are still undecided entering Week 18.

2023-24 NFL playoffs schedule

No matchups are set, but the time slots are. The NFL will fill each slot as the playoff picture comes into focus. All times Eastern.

Wild Card Weekend

Saturday, Jan. 13: 4:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on NBC/Peacock.

Sunday, Jan. 14: 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m. CBS or FOX will broadcast the first two games. NBC will broadcast the night game.

Monday, Jan 15: 8:15 p.m. on ESPN/ABC.

Divisional round

All times TBA.

Saturday, Jan. 20 and Sunday, Jan. 21 will each feature one NFC divisional matchup and one AFC divisional matchup.

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 28:

AFC championship game: 3 p.m. on CBSNFC championship game: 6:30 p.m. on FOX

Super Bowl 58

Following a bye week for both Super Bowl teams, Super Bowl 58 will kickoff on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. on CBS.

How does the NFL Playoffs’ dynamic bracket work?

After the wild-card round, the Ravens and 49ers will play the lowest seed remaining in their conference, whether it’s the No. 4 seed, the No. 7 seed or anything in between. The second-highest seed remaining would play the second-lowest seed remaining.

If either the Ravens or 49ers fall in a divisional round upset, the highest seed remaining below them – not necessarily the team that beat them – would get home-field advantage in their conference championship game.

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Steelers NFL playoffs scenarios, remaining schedule and more

The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) have a long shot at making the playoffs, but it’s still a shot.

This season has featured a quarterback carousel and questions about effort. With one final regular-season game left to play, Pittsburgh is the only team in the AFC North whose playoff fate is yet to be decided.

The Baltimore Ravens clinched the division title and the No. 1 seed in the conference, and the Cleveland Browns have secured a wild-card spot and the No. 5 seed. Pittsburgh is playing for its own wild-card spot.

The Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated from contention with last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s been 13 years since the Steelers last went to the Super Bowl and 15 since they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Will they get the opportunity to win the championship yet again?

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Steelers playoff scenarios

The Steelers are ninth in the AFC playoff standings and ‘on the bubble,’ according to the NFL, with a 29% chance of getting into the postseason.

There are five scenarios where Pittsburgh gets into the playoffs:

Steelers win against Ravens AND Bills lose to Dolphins ORSteelers win against Ravens AND Jaguars lose or tie against Titans ORSteelers win against Ravens AND Texans and Colts tie ORSteelers tie against Ravens AND Jaguars lose to Titans AND Texans and Colts doesn’t end in tie ORJaguars lose to Titans AND Broncos win against Raiders AND Texans and Colts doesn’t end in tie

Steelers remaining schedule

Pittsburgh has one regular-season games left in the 2023 season:

Week 18 at Baltimore Ravens (13-3), 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium

Will the Steelers make the playoffs?

After beating the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17, the Steelers greatly improved their chances of making the 2023 postseason. Before the game, the NFL didn’t even include them in its official list of playoff scenarios, but Pittsburgh now has five clear scenarios to punch a postseason ticket.

This team has seen its fair share of troubles this season. Whether it’s maturity issues or sheer talent, Pittsburgh simply hasn’t been up to par with the rest of the league. Even when the Steelers were winning at the beginning of the season, they didn’t have a game where their offense outperformed the opponent.

It seems there’s positive momentum with two consecutive wins behind Mason Rudolph. The Ravens have already locked up the division and the No. 1 seed, so there is a good chance they won’t be going full gear against the Steelers to protect Lamar Jackson and the starters. This gives Pittsburgh more hope for the victory than if Baltimore was gunning for its own playoff spot.

But it’s not a win-and-in situation. There are too many other factors at play to say the Steelers will get into the playoffs.

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Packers NFL playoffs scenarios, remaining schedule and more

The Green Bay Packers have had a roller-coaster of a year, but with one game left in the regular season, there’s still a path to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Titletown.

At 8-8, the Packers head into Week 18 in the No. 7 spot in the NFC standings, meaning right now, Green Bay is heading into the playoffs.

The path to a playoff spot in the final week of the season is simple: win and in. But even if the Packers are unable to pick up a victory to end the regular season, there’s still a chance they make the playoffs, as long as some other teams also lose.

Here’s what Green Bay needs to make the playoffs:

Packers playoff scenarios

The easiest path the Packers could create for themselves is to beat the Chicago Bears in the regular-season finale. Finishing at 9-8, the Packers would guarantee themselves a playoff spot and wouldn’t have to worry about any other results.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

The Packers are currently the No. 7 seed in the standings, but they could become the sixth seed in the playoffs. Here’s how:

Packers win AND Rams lose

If the Packers lose or tie to the Bears, that’s where things get tricky, as it’ll involve results with the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the odds go down significantly with a tie, these are the paths Green Bay would need to still make the playoffs if it ties with Chicago:

Packers tie AND Seahawks loss or tie AND Saints loss or tie ORPackers tie AND Seahawks loss AND Buccaneers loss ORPackers tie AND Seahawks tie AND Buccaneers loss or tie OR

Should Green Bay lose to Chicago, the result of the game won’t matter as long as these results work in the Packers’ favor:

Vikings loss or tie AND Seahawks loss AND Buccaneers loss ORVikings loss or tie AND Seahawks loss AND Saints loss

Packers remaining schedule

The Packers’ final game is at home against NFC North rival Bears. Green Bay beat Chicago to open the season, although the Bears have gotten hot recently, winning four of their past five games.

Will the Packers make the playoffs?

Facing its greatest nemesis, Green Bay has a great shot to make the playoffs.

The Packers head into the matchup against the Bears as three-point favorites, according to BetMGM odds. Green Bay played one of its best games of the season in the Week 17 win over the Minnesota Vikings, and beat the Bears by 18 points in the regular-season opener. The New York Times playoff scenario simulator currently gives Green Bay a 68% chance of making the playoffs.

If Green Bay is unable to beat Chicago, it drastically changes the probability. Seattle is facing an Arizona Cardinals team that is coming off a big win, but already lost to the Seahawks earlier this season. Tampa Bay is also facing the NFL-worst Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans enters its matchup against the Atlanta Falcons winners of three of its past four games.

In short: As long as Green Bay is able to beat Chicago for the 10th consecutive time, all will be well in Wisconsin. No win, and it might be time to prep for the NFL draft.

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Bills win AFC East if they beat Dolphins. What if they lose?

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills might not be the Super Bowl favorite they were touted to be before the 2023 season began.

But the Bills are certainly on the doorstep of the NFL postseason.

After a 5-5 start forced them to make a change at offensive coordinator, the Bills are 10-6 and currently slotted as the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff race with one very big game remaining.

The playoff clinching scenarios are straightforward for the Bills: Win against the Miami Dolphins and win the AFC East for a fourth consecutive season. Lose and the scenario gets much more complicated.

How Bills can win AFC East

Win.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

The Bills survived at home against the New England Patriots during Week 17, but they will now go on the road against the Dolphins in the regular-season finale on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ If the Bills win they will claim the AFC East and the conference’s No. 2 seed, which will play the No. 7 seed during the NFL’s wild-card round.

Can Bills make playoffs if they lose?

If Miami wins Sunday night’s matchup, they’ll win their first AFC East title since 2008. And Buffalo will be hoping at least one of the following things happened beforehand:

Steelers loss or tie at Ravens on Saturday ORJaguars loss or tie at Titans on Sunday ORTexans at Colts game Sunday ends in a tie

The Bills would also get a wild-card bid with a tie against the Dolphins.

Bills seeding scenarios ahead of Week 18

A win against the Dolphins will secure the No. 2 seed for the Bills. If Buffalo falls to Miami (or ties) and gets the help needed to make the postseason, it would be as a No. 6 or No. 7 seed. The Browns (11-5) have already clinched the No. 5 spot.

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