Following the Green Bay Packers’ heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, the team finds itself in a familiar position. For the second straight year, it will need to run the table to make the playoffs.

After watching the Packers rally from 4-6, to 10-6 and a berth in the NFC Championship Game a season ago, anything seems possible. And even though Green Bay sits at 5-6, two games back of the final wildcard spot in the NFC, the season is far from over.

But before the Packers start thinking playoffs, they need to find a way to survive the next two weeks with Brett Hundley, who had a career night against Pittsburgh, throwing three touchdowns, compared to zero interceptions.

With Tampa Bay coming to Lambeau Field this week, Green Bay has a great opportunity to get to 6-6. Even with Jameis Winston starting, the Packers are favored to win. And if Hundley can continue to build on his newfound confidence, the team might just be able to do something it hasn’t with Hundley yet, which is win back-to-back games.

With any backup quarterback, that can be a tall order. But with Tampa Bay at home this week, followed by a road trip to Cleveland in Week 14, it’s entirely possible. And if the Packers can get it done, it would set the stage for a dramatic return by Aaron Rodgers for a Week 15 matchup against Carolina.

But two wins and a potential Rodgers return aren’t the only reasons the Packers have hope. The challenging schedules of some teams in front of them, could provide an opening down the road, particularly with games looming against fellow playoff contenders Carolina and Detroit (Week 17).

Currently, the Packers sit in ninth place in the NFC, tied with Dallas, Washington and Arizona at 5-6. Yet, Green Bay ranks ahead of all those teams, leaving them trailing Detroit (6-5), Seattle (7-4) and Atlanta (7-4) for the sixth and final playoff spot. Carolina sits in fifth right now at 8-3.

Atlanta is the team holding the sixth seed right now and the Falcons do hold the tiebreaker over Green Bay, but with games against Minnesota, New Orleans (twice) and Carolina still ahead, nothing is a given.

The Seahawks also have a challenging schedule, starting this week with the Eagles. After that, Seattle will play Jacksonville and the Rams, before closing with the Cowboys and Cardinals, two other teams that as of now, are still alive. And with Detroit being one game up on the Packers, that score could be settled by Week 17, so if Green Bay did run the table, it should easily pass the Lions.

It’s also conceivable that Carolina could lose three of the next five games. The Panthers not only play a Green Bay team that could have Aaron Rodgers back in two weeks, but it also plays at the Saints, home against the Vikings and at the Falcons in the final week of the season.

If Carolina losses at New Orleans and at Atlanta, plus drops the game to Green Bay, they would wind up 10-6, giving the Packers a chance to catch them with five straight wins.

Obviously, none of these scenarios matters unless the Packers start winning games. One loss and the season is over for Green Bay. But if it can win the next two and gets Rodgers healthy after that, then at least there is hope.

Sometimes, all it takes is a spark. The Packers got it with a road win over the Eagles a season ago and this time around, hopefully a home win over Tampa Bay, can have the same impact.