Packers: Mason Crosby field goal secures first-round bye

The Green Bay Packers finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and will now get to sit back and enjoy the wild-card round with a first-round bye.

For the second time this season, a walk-off field goal by Mason Crosby gave the Green Bay Packers a victory over the Detroit Lions in a game they hadn’t led at any point. This time, however, it was good to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Depending on the result of the Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers game later today, it will either be the number one or two seed for the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers and the offense put together a disappointing performance. Rodgers missed a number of throws, and when he found his receivers, there were far too many drops.

In a game they had to win to get a bye, the Packers fell behind 17-3 at halftime.

But the fourth quarter was almost a mirror image of the win over Detroit at Lambeau Field earlier in the season.

When the Packers desperately needed a touchdown, Rodgers found Allen Lazard for a spectacular play. The same happened earlier in the year.

And following a strong finish to the game by the defense, Green Bay had 1:20 to get in field goal range. A 31-yard screen pass to Aaron Jones set the Packers up nicely, and Mason Crosby finished the job with a 33-yard field goal to guarantee the team a week off in the wild-card round.

What this means is that Green Bay will host a divisional-round game in two weeks. The team has won five in a row and now has a week off to get healthy and prepare for the postseason.

The Packers are two wins away from the Super Bowl, and we won’t care if they are ugly wins.

Tonight, everyone can cheer on the Seahawks. If they defeat the 49ers at home, the NFC will go through Green Bay. And the Packers would be two wins at Lambeau away from a trip to the Super Bowl.