The NFC Championship Game is finally coming back to Lambeau Field
Aaron Rodgers has done or accomplished just about everything an NFL quarterback could do or accomplish over the course of a Hall of Fame career.
He’s been missing just one thing: playing at home in the NFC Championship Game.
Rodgers, now 37, can check that one off the list.
The top-seeded Green Bay Packers knocked off the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Lambeau Field, guaranteeing the NFC Championship Game will be played in Green Bay next Sunday.
This will be Rodgers’ fifth NFC Championship Game appearance. He previously played in Chicago (2010), in Seattle (2014), in Atlanta (2016) and in San Francisco (2019). The Packers beat the Bears but lost to the Seahawks, Falcons and 49ers, robbing Rodgers of a second chance to play in the Super Bowl.
Now, for the first time since 2007, the NFC representative in the Super Bowl will be decided at Lambeau Field.
After every previous loss in the NFC Championship Game, including last January’s loss at Levi’s Stadium, Rodgers lamented not getting the chance to play the game at home. Getting to the Super Bowl is hard enough; winning on the road only complicates the task.
The Packers have often been very good but too often only bordering on great. In fact, this season was just the second time the Packers have been the No. 1 seed in the NFC since Rodgers took over as the starter in 2008. They blew a chance as a 15-1 team in 2011, losing to the New York Giants in the divisional round. They were the No. 2 seed in 2014, requiring a trip to Seattle. They were the No. 2 seed again last season, requiring a trip to San Francisco.
In 2016, the Packers needed six straight wins just to make the postseason. And by the time they reached the NFC Championship Game in Atlanta, the tank was officially on empty for a team with too many holes.
This season, the Packers won their final six games again but this time clinched the No. 1 seed, claiming a coveted first-round bye in the NFL’s new playoff format and guaranteeing home field advantage through the NFC playoffs.
One win and the title game was coming to Green Bay. Saturday’s 32-18 victory over the Rams secured it.
Rodgers and the Packers will face either Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday. The Buccaneers and Saints face off in New Orleans on Sunday.
Finally, Rodgers will get his opportunity to play a home game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. It will be nothing short of a legacy moment. With a win over either Brady or Brees, Rodgers – the presumptive MVP in 2020 – can give himself a chance to add a second Super Bowl title to his incredible resume.
Three MVPs and two Super Bowl titles? Only Brady and Peyton Manning have done it in NFL history.
The last NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field ended in an overtime loss to the Giants during the 2007 season, the last with Brett Favre as quarterback. Rodgers will attempt to author a much different script in Green Bay next Sunday.
