Navigation

Packers Aim for Sixth Super Bowl Appearance

The Green Bay Packers will play in their seventh NFC Conference Championship Game in franchise history on Sunday after a thrilling 34-31 victory against the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional playoff round. The Packers (12-6) will travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons (12-5) at 2:05 pm in a Sunday contest. Atlanta is coming off of a 36-20 defeat of the Seattle Seahawks to bring the Falcons to their fourth NFC Championship Game. Atlanta beat Green Bay, 33-32, in Week 8 of the regular season.

Of the 32 NFL teams that began the 2016 season, just four remain in the hunt for a Super Bowl LI title. Opposite the NFC, the New England Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday with kickoff set for 5:40 pm. The Patriots will play in their sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game, marking their 13th overall in franchise history. The Steelers will play in their 16th, with their last appearance coming during the 2010-11 season.

After Green Bay’s memorable playoff run in 2010, ending with a Super Bowl XLV title against the Pittsburgh Steelers, most Packers’ fans remember well of the heartbreak experienced in the playoffs in the three most recent seasons.

In 2013, Green Bay was beaten at home at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round in one of the coldest games in playoff history. As time expired, Phil Dawson connected on a 33-yard field goal to give the 49ers the victory, eliminating the Packers from the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

The 2014 season saw the Packers advancing to the NFC Conference Championship Game against the hosting Seattle Seahawks. Green Bay led 19-7 with just five minutes and 13 seconds separating them from their sixth Super Bowl appearance. A Green Bay interception appeared to seal the win, however, the Packers’ late collapse led the game into overtime where the Seahawks came out victorious, 28-22.

Last season, Green Bay’s season ended in Arizona as the Cardinals came away with a 26-20 overtime victory in the Divisional playoff round. Despite an Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary touchdown to Jeff Janis as time expired to send the game into overtime, the Cardinals answered quickly. Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald scored on the first possession of overtime, eliminating the Packers from the playoffs.

While Green Bay has experienced agonizing defeats in recent years, the Falcons are competing in their first postseason since the 2012 season. Atlanta lost to the 49ers, 28-24, in the NFC Conference Championship that season.

The Packers will look to advance to their sixth Super Bowl while the Falcons have the chance to appear in their second in franchise history. Atlanta’s lone Super Bowl appearance came at the conclusion of the 1998-99 season behind head coach Dan Reeves and running back, Jamal Anderson. The Falcons lost to the Denver Broncos, 34-19, in Super Bowl XXXIII.

The Packers’ eighth straight victory last Sunday has earned this Green Bay team much respect and is a far cry from where the team stood after Week 11, with a record of 4-6. Rallying to make the playoffs, earning an NFC North Division title in the process, the Packers have become a dangerous team, indeed.

Each season, the NFL features teams that start fast but fail to maintain the momentum and coast to the finish line. Many teams never seem to find their rhythm, with wins and losses staggered throughout the season. Then there are the few teams who peak at the right time, priming themselves for a strong playoff run. The Packers are exactly that this season.

They also were in 2010, which ended with a Super Bowl title.

Green Bay had to rally to win their final two games of the 2010 season just to qualify for the postseason. After finishing the season at 10-6, the Packers had to start their playoff journey as a Wild Card team. Following road wins against the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, the Packers went into Super Bowl XLV with five straight wins, with the Super Bowl victory against the Steelers earning them their sixth consecutive win.

Similarly, the Packers’ current season ended with “must-win” games to qualify for the playoffs, also finishing the regular season at 10-6. Beginning as a Wild Card team, Green Bay has just one game separating them from a Super Bowl LI appearance.

It’s been an impressive feat for this Packers’ team. Behind the leadership of head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have done what many thought was perhaps out of reach.

Rodgers’ Nov. 23 comments to reporters (after their fourth straight loss) that the Packers could “run the table” should join the ranks of Joe Namath’s Super Bowl III guarantee if Green Bay completes their postseason run.

Although Rodgers’ comment was not a guarantee, it was a bold statement nonetheless and exhibited confidence in not just one game. His belief that the Packers could win their next six regular season games proved true and then some. Eight wins later and the Packers have the chance to play for a trip to Super Bowl LI.

This will be the fourth postseason matchup in the Falcons and Packers’ rivalry. Green Bay was victorious in the 1995 Wild Card match, 37-20, behind a three-touchdown pass performance from Brett Favre. In 2002, the Michael Vick-led Falcons upset Green Bay in the Wild Card round, 27-7, at Lambeau Field. The most recent postseason contest was in the 2010 Divisional Round, where Green Bay defeated Atlanta, 48-21, on their way to Super Bowl XLV.

A victory against the Falcons will set the Packers up for a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots (SB XXXI) or the Pittsburgh Steelers (SB XLV).

Source: Packers Media Guide

Justin Skiba is a local educator and former high school football coach. He lives in Sturgeon Bay with his wife, Stephanie, and daughter, Delaney. Justin has a strong interest in history and sports.