The Green Bay Packers put together the best record in the NFC, claiming the top seed and first-round bye in the NFL Playoffs. The road to the Super Bowl going through “Titletown” is fitting and gives the Packers a major homefield advantage . However, their recent record after a bye week does raise the level of concern for Packer Nation.
The Packers playoff matchup initially looks great . They are playing at Lambeau Field in January, facing a California team that has a massive question mark at quarterback. However, the way Green Bay has looked after bye weeks in recent seasons is concerning. They have also been downright terrible after bye weeks under Matt LaFleur.
Over their past 10 seasons, the Packers are 7-6 straight up and 6-6-1 against the spread (ATS) after a bye week. This drops to 2-4 and 2-3-1, respectively, over the past five seasons.
With LaFleur as the coach, which is the most relevant to look at, the two regular season bye weeks have not been pretty. Trust me, I’m sorry to even bring this up. After their first bye week under LaFleur, the Packers flew to California and lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 37-8. This season, they flew south and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their worst game of the season, 38-10.
However, after their first-round by in the NFL Playoffs last season, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 14-3. So, which Packers team will show up to play?
The Packers cannot come out flat and relaxed this week, if they would like another playoff game.
What Does This Mean for Packers Playoff Matchup?It means the Packers cannot get down early and allow the Rams to run the ball. They also must be able to step on the Rams’ throat if they get up by a couple scores, instead of playing soft on both sides of the ball, as has been the case for the majority of the season.
The Packers should win this playoff game. Will they?
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