The final four teams in the NFC are the No. 1 seeded San Francisco 49ers, the No. 3 seeded Detroit Lions, the No. 4 seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the No. 7 seeded Green Bay Packers. The 49ers will host the Packers on Saturday night, while the Lions host the Buccaneers on Sunday.
A few things to consider entering the NFC Divisional Round:
— The NFC Central lives on! The Packers, Lions and Buccaneers are all still alive. From 1977 to 2002, the Buccaneers shared a division with the Packers and Lions. The Lions and Buccaneers will meet Sunday for the 62nd time, and the second time in the postseason. Wins by the Packers and Lions would set up the first all-NFC North NFC title game since 2010. The Packers and Buccaneers played in the 2020 NFC title game.
— The last four ends to a Packers season? The Lions in 2022, the 49ers in 2021 and 2019 and the Buccaneers in 2020. The path to the Super Bowl would be lined with revenge games. Does this matter to the 2023 Packers? Almost certainly not. But beating the 49ers and Buccaneers would be especially sweet for Packers fans given the recent playoff history between the two.
— The 2010 path remains intact. The Packers beat the Bears at Lambeau Field in the regular season finale to clinch a playoff spot and then took down the NFC East champion on the road in the wildcard round. Up next? The No. 1 seed. Will the 49ers play the role of 2010 Atlanta Falcons? If the Packers get past the 49ers, it’s possible they’ll go to Detroit to play the NFC North champions, providing symmetry with the 2010 Chicago Bears.
— Who is the best quarterback left in the NFC playoffs? Brock Purdy had the best season overall, Jared Goff has played in a Super Bowl and Baker Mayfield had a handful of excellent games down the stretch. But no one is playing the quarterback position at a higher level right now than Jordan Love. Having the best or most experienced quarterback isn’t necessarily as important as having the hottest quarterback when it comes to surviving a single elimination tournament like the NFL playoffs.
— The 49ers are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Packers are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Lions are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Bucs are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Including the wildcard round, the Packers (3) have the most wins over playoff teams over the last 10 games.