NFL playoffs: Will the Green Bay Packers play next Saturday or Sunday?

The Green Bay Packers became the first ever No. 7 seed to win an NFL Wild Card game with a resounding road victory over the No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys, bringing an end to the Cowboys' 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Due to the Matt LaFleur's team being the lowest seeded team in the NFC playoff bracket, the first matchup of Divisional Round weekend is now set. Their 48-32 victory sends them to Santa Clara to take on the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers next weekend at Levi's Stadium.

While the full schedule for Divisional Round has not yet been solidified, it's safe to assume that this matchup between two familiar NFC playoff opponents will be contested on Saturday, January 20 as opposed to Sunday, January 21.

When will the Green Bay Packers' playoff run continue?

Update: The NFL has announced the Packers will play the 49ers on Saturday, January 20, at 7 pm CT.

Two seasons ago, the NFL introduced a Monday night game to the Wild Card schedule. The winner of that game has never been scheduled to play again on the Saturday of Divisional Round weekend, as that would only give them four days of rest in between games. We saw it with the Los Angeles Rams two years ago, and we saw it again with the Cowboys last year.

Set to compete in this year's Monday night game are the No. 4 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the No. 5 seed Philadelphia Eagles.

Because the Packers pulled off the upset over the Cowboys to lock in a matchup against the 49ers, the winner of tomorrow night's game is set to play the winner of tonight's game between the No. 3 seed Detroit Lions and the No. 6 seed Los Angeles Rams.

Based on the NFL's past schedule-making decisions, the matchup between those winners would presumably be contested next Sunday, thus giving the winner of tomorrow's game enough time in between rounds.

While there is nothing that would theoretically prevent the NFL from scheduling both of a conference's Divisional Round games on the same day, that is pretty much out of the question this season because of the fact that an AFC Wild Card game was postponed.

The No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills were scheduled to host the No. 7 seed Pittsburgh Steelers earlier on Sunday afternoon, but that game was postponed until Monday afternoon due to a winter storm. It is highly unlikely that the winner of that game would be scheduled to play on Saturday for the same reason, effectively locking in an NFC matchup on Saturday, January 20.

So mark it down, Packers fans: another Divisional Round matchup with the 49ers. And count on the game being scheduled for Saturday, not Sunday.

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