Packers Earn No.1 Seed; Here’s Why This Is Significant GREEN BAY, Wis. — Sunday night’s victory over the Minnesota Vikings gave the Green Bay Packers the No.1 seed in the NFC playoffs and home-field advantage. Despite last year’s humiliating loss in the NFC Championship Game, this is a significant payoff.
All 14 teams who reached the Super Bowl in the seven postseasons from 2013 to 2019 had either the No.1 or No.2 seed, meaning a first-round bye. That changed during the extended postseason last year. The NFC South runner-up Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the No.5 seed won three road games to go to the Super Bowl, which they won on their home field.
After the game, coach Matt LaFleur said, “I don’t believe anybody in that locker room is going to take a big breath and say, ‘Hey, we’ve arrived.'” Every game from here on out is essentially win-or-go-home, and you must prepare throughout the week to be at your best; we know this going into every game.
Is Green Bay the No.1 seed?
– Because the Packers have secured the No.1 seed in the NFC, the path to the Super Bowl will pass via Lambeau Field. Green Bay began the season with a 38-3 loss on the road against the. However, the Packers went on to win seven consecutive games, improving their record to 7-1.
GREEN BAY — The Packers might learn as early as Sunday afternoon who will visit Lambeau Field for the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Green Bay may not know until late Monday night, when the conference’s third and final wild-card game concludes. As the No.1 seed in the NFC, the Packers will face the lowest remaining seed after the first round of games, making the wild-card round a rather thrilling game-by-game battle to determine their next opponent.
The fact that the conference’s wild-card games are being played in reverse seed order in relation to the Packers’ chances makes it rather simple to comprehend. Here is the schedule, with the playoff seedings in parenthesis (all times Central): (7) Philadelphia Eagles at (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 12:00 Sunday, 3:30 p.m., (6) San Francisco 49ers at (3) Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday (5) Arizona Cardinals at (4) Los Angeles Rams, 7:15 p.m. Monday The Packers will not face the Buccaneers or Cowboys in the divisional round because they will host a fourth-through-seventh-seeded opponent on January 22 or 23. These clubs are prospective opponents for Green Bay only in the NFC championship game, should the Packers reach it.
But first things first: knowing the divisional opponent and then preparing for next week’s crucial game. Therefore, if the seventh-seeded Eagles win their inaugural NFC wild-card game on Sunday afternoon, the suspense will be gone. Philadelphia will visit Green Bay. If Tampa Bay wins, the Packers’ opponent in the next game might be determined.
A victory by the 49ers would bring them here, and there is no more time to waste. However, the longest delay happens if both the Buccaneers and Cowboys win. In that situation, next week’s NFC Divisional matchup would feature these two teams, while the Packers would face the winner of the Cardinals-Rams matchup.
As for when these divisional games will be played, the league has stated that the schedule for January 22-23 will be released over the weekend. Sunday night is a safe bet. The victor of the Cardinals-Rams game would likely play the following Sunday to prevent an unfair Monday-to-Saturday turnaround for one of the remaining four teams in the league.
Any other assumptions, including that the home team has a considerable edge this weekend, would likely be reckless. Since 2012, road teams in NFC Wild Card games are 11-8, with the Packers being both a home loser (to San Francisco in 2013) and a road winner (to Washington in 2015) during this span.
Why was Green Bay granted a bye?
Despite their trip to London, the Packers requested a later bye week during the 2022 season. The Green Bay Packers could have enjoyed a bye week following their Week 6 trip to London to face the New York Giants. The club instead sought a later bye week, which was approved by the NFL.
- The Packers will not get a week off during the 2022 regular season until Week 14.
- Both head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst revealed that the Packers requested a later bye week from the NFL.
- Instead of needing to play 12 consecutive games to conclude the season, the Packers will play 13 consecutive games to begin the season, but will have a vital bye week in December to relax and prepare for the stretch run and playoffs.
Due to the difficulty of the travel, the NFL allows considerable leeway for teams playing in London. The majority of teams have utilized their bye week to let their bodies to recover from fatigue and jet lag. There have been sixty games played in London during the International Series of the NFL.
- Only four times prior to 2022 did a club seek not to have a bye week directly following a road trip, so the Packers are going against the grain.
- The Minnesota Vikings are following suit; Kevin O’Connell’s squad will play in London in Week 4, but the bye week will not occur until Week 7.
- Week 14 is the latest bye week available and the latest bye week in franchise history for the Packers.
The Packers enjoyed a Week 13 bye last season. The disadvantage is having to play the New York Jets just seven days after facing the Giants in London, providing a potential rest and recuperation disadvantage. The Packers believe that having the London trip wedged between two home games (Week 4 vs.
- Patriots and Week 6 vs.
- Jets) will assist to alleviate the pressure of the transatlantic journey.
- There is also a possible benefit: The Packers will play three of their next four games at home, including a Monday night matchup with the Los Angeles Rams and a season finale against the Detroit Lions.
- This club might be uncommonly well-rested and healthy in the last month.
LaFleur has twice served as an assistant coach in London, so he is familiar with the preparation and recuperation processes. Undoubtedly, talks with players, notably the leadership council, affected his choice. The Packers had no good options: either they had to have the bye week early and face a formidable opponent late in the season, or they had to overcome the logistical obstacles early in the season in exchange for the advantages of a later bye.
