Sunday’s wild card games in the NFC will determine who the Green Bay Packers face in the divisional round next weekend.
The Packers will host the highest remaining seed on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 5:40 p.m. CT at Lambeau Field.
The two games this Sunday:
– No. 6 Minnesota Vikings (10-6) at No. 3 New Orleans Saints (13-3), 12:05 p.m CT
– No. 5 Seattle Seahawks (11-5) at No. 4 Philadelphia Eagles (9-7), 3:40 p.m. CT
Here’s how those games will affect the Packers in the next round:
If the Saints beat the Vikings…
… the Packers will host the Saints.
If the Vikings beat the Saints…
… the Packers will host the winner of the Eagles and Seahawks.
The Packers cannot play the Vikings in the divisional round.
There are multiple ways of looking at the wild card games for the Packers.
– If the Vikings win, the Packers will avoid Drew Brees and the 13-3 Saints in the divisional round, potentially providing the best opportunity to advance to the NFC title game. The Packers would likely be favored over both the Seahawks and Eagles at home.
– If the Vikings lose, the Packers will play the Saints, potentially in sub-freezing temps in Green Bay, but a higher-seeded team will go to San Francisco, possibly increasing the chances of the top-seeded 49ers losing. The Seahawks already beat the 49ers in San Francisco this season. A Packers win and the 49ers loss in the divisional round would send the NFC title game to Green Bay.
The AFC field is set in the divisional round. The Baltimore Ravens will host the Tennessee Titans, who upset the New England Patriots, while the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans, who came back to beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime.