The final matchup on Wild Card Weekend will feature the New York Giants paying the Green Bay Packers a visit at Lambeau Field. These teams are both trying to recapture previous postseason magic.
Giants vs. Packers: Start time, TV schedule for NFL playoffs
Two familiar teams will face off on Wild Card Weekend.
This will mark the eighth time these two teams have met in the postseason, but the first since 2011-12, when the Giants came away with a 37-20 victory on their way to winning Super Bowl XLVI. New York has gone on to win a Super Bowl the last two times it has faced the Packers in the playoffs.
Quarterback Eli Manning is no stranger to the playoffs, claiming an 8-3 record in the postseason, including a 2-0 mark against the Packers in Lambeau. The veteran quarterback finished the 2016 regular season with 377 completions for 4,027 yards and 26 touchdowns — but he also threw 16 interceptions.
The Giants had four players named to the 2017 Pro Bowl — Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins, Dwayne Harris and Janoris Jenkins. Helping the offense will be two of the league’s best defensive interior duos and a secondary that is gaining momentum heading into the postseason.
Jenkins, who previously played for the Rams, has had a career-best season after signing with the Giants during free agency. He’ll face a tough task going against MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers led the Packers back from the dead. They turned a 4-6 start into a 10-6 finish and captured the NFC North crown. During the six-game winning streak to end the season, Rodgers threw for 1,667 yards, 15 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He added 110 yards on the ground and a rushing score.
When asked about Rodgers’s ability to scramble, Jenkins said, “Just stay with your man. Follow him everywhere you go. Even if he goes to the bathroom, follow him.”
Rodgers became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 40 touchdown passes in multiple seasons, reaching the feat again in 2016. He finished the regular season with 401 completions for 4,428 yards and 40 scores — in addition to 369 rushing yards and four touchdowns — with only seven interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, Green Bay’s defense boasts one of the most veteran linebacker corps in the league with Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, and Nick Perry. Peppers is the only player in NFL history with 100-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions, and Matthews has 10 postseason sacks, which is the franchise record.
The last time these teams met was in Week 5, when the Packers bested the Giants 23-16 in Wisconsin. Coming off its winning streak, Green Bay is playing in the postseason for the eighth consecutive year. The Packers face a motivated Giants team that hasn’t been in the postseason since the 2011 season.
The winner of this game will go on to face either the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4:35 p.m. ET, or the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:40 p.m. ET.
How to watch
Time: 4:40 p.m. ET
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
Online: Sunday Ticket, Fox Sports Go
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