Green Bay Packers home-field advantage already paying dividends
The Green Bay Packers advantage at Lambeau Field this time of year is evident.
Prior to the Green Bay Packers playing the Tennesse Titans on Sunday Night Football, Mother Nature made her presence felt at Lambeau Field. With heavy snow in the forecast, it was clear that Green Bay was simply playing in their element.
Green Bay’s eventual 40-14 victory over Tennessee in Week 16 has them within striking distance of clinching home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Their next game, however, will be to hopefully ensure that their long time rivals in Chicago do not achieve the postseason dream as the Bears sit in the seventh and last spot in the NFC. A Packers victory would likely send Chicago home, pending what goes on between Los Angeles and Arizona.
Nevertheless, the Packers have something to play for. They want to ensure the opportunity to host every playoff game this season and have teams face the fear of playing in one of the coldest areas in the NFL. Additionally, they want to give their players the luxury of not having to travel the rest of the season outside of the Super Bowl.
The Green Bay Packers taking the NFC playoffs through Lambeau would be huge.
Some will recall how Green Bay went 15-1 during the 2011 season and clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They then, of course, followed that up with a one-and-done against the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
That might cause some uneasiness for the Lambeau faithful but an anomaly occurs every now and then in football. Need we forget that the Packers have Aaron Rodgers playing with motivation? Him playing at home with that mentality seems far more dangerous than any bad luck.
It must be noted that every time Rodgers participated in an NFC Championship Game, it was away from Lambeau. Would it not be nice to host the NFC Championship and celebrate on your home field while having the elements be in your favor as opposed to the visitors? The players would certainly think so and likely the fans would be receptive to that possibility becoming a reality.
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Green Bay is very close, it is within reach of clinching the opportunity to ensure that the road to the Super Bowl runs through Lombardi Ave. The old saying that “you play to win the game” matters no greater than now. One victory can clinch it for this team and provide them with the advantage. Hopefully, for Packers fans, mother nature can join in and provide her own edge.