The public ostensibly doesn't have much faith in the Green Bay Packers entering the playoffs -- and perhaps understandably so. Given their current state of affairs, it's hard to see them making serious noise.
After all, the Packers lost four straight contests and are without their best defender and player, star pass-rusher Micah Parsons. The odds are stacked against them, both literally and figuratively, heading into a road Wild Card showdown with the Chicago Bears. Yet, one way or another, Green Bay may quietly be the skeleton key to the eventual Super Bowl LX winner.
Whether Green Bay is a legitimate title contender is highly questionable. Nevertheless, an interesting under-the-radar tidbit ($) from The Athletic's Jeff Howe and Austin Mock highlights the significance of the Packers' role in the postseason picture.
Jordan Love and the Packers quietly control the Super Bowl LX picture
Howe and Mock broke down their projections and analysis for every first-round matchup, including the Packers' trip to Chicago. They touched on the historical significance of knocking out a Packers squad led by quarterback Jordan Love in recent years:
"The Packers have been the No. 7 seed during all three seasons with Love as the starter. They won a wild-card game during the 2023 postseason, but they've been eliminated by the NFC's Super Bowl representative in both prior appearances."Jeff Howe and Austin Mock, The Athletic
As the saying goes, history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Of course, this isn't an exact science, though a clear pattern is taking shape: good things happen when you beat the Love-led Packers in January.
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Just ask the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, the most recent example. They defeated Green Bay on Wild Card Weekend before hoisting the Lombardi Trophy last season. Moreover, while the San Francisco 49ers fell short of their ultimate goal, the path to Super Bowl LVIII included a victory over the Packers.
Well, what do you know? The Packers, for a third consecutive campaign, are the NFC's No. 7 seed. Will good things (for their opponents) come in threes?
Who knows if there's a direct correlation to taking down the Packers and reaching the promised land? It could merely be a coincidence. Be that as it may, the Bears will get the first crack at finding out.