While the Green Bay Packers have already captured the NFC North title and ensured a home playoff game next month, quarterback Aaron Rodgers understands the importance of beating the Detroit Lions in the season finale and securing a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.
The Packers, now 12-3 with a game to play, can guarantee one of the top seeds in the conference – and a week off to start the postseason – by beating the 3-11-1 Lions on Sunday.
“An extra week at this time of the season is crucial. And even more important than that is obviously the home-field advantage that we feel like we have here in Green Bay, with our crowd, and the weather, and the footing, and everything about Lambeau Field, and the mystique, has to offer. That’s what we’d like to secure this week,” Rodgers said Thursday.
The Packers haven’t enjoyed a first-round bye in the postseason since 2014.
Rodgers mentioned the 2012 season when the Packers lost a “tough one” to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 and failed to secure a first-round bye. They beat the Vikings at Lambeau Field a week later but ended up losing on the road in the divisional round.
In 2014, Rodgers came back from a calf injury in Week 17 and helped the Packers beat the Detroit Lions, clinching the bye. The extra week helped Rodgers recover, and the Packers went on to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round to advance to the NFC title game.
The Packers can guarantee another home game in the divisional round with a win over the Lions on Sunday.
“It’s important we approach this game understanding how much we have to gain by winning. The great teams win these games,” Rodgers said. “If we want to be that great team that gets an opportunity to be in the mix for the one seed, for sure gets a bye, gets a chance to relax for a week and get ready for an opponent, these are the kind of games you win.”
While the Packers are mostly healthy to end the year, and there’s always outside concern about halting momentum with a week off, Rodgers still prefers to have the bye.
“It does help,” Rodgers said. “There’s a lot of talk about, especially in 2011, about rust, or whatever, end of the season. This is different because we’re playing ourselves in. And we have the opportunity to do that by playing.”
Coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that the Packers are treating Sunday’s game like a playoff game. Obviously, the Packers aren’t eliminated with a loss, but they have so much to gain – and so much to lose.
With a win in Detroit and a 49ers loss or tie to the Seahawks, the Packers would be the No. 1 seed – providing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. With a loss, the Packers would need help to avoid being the No. 3 seed and playing on Wild Card Weekend.
Nine years ago, Rodgers and the Packers won three straight road games to get to the Super Bowl. They took the hardest way possible.
This year, the Packers have a great chance to blaze an easier path. First, they must go to Detroit and take care of business against the Lions on Sunday.
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