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- Mar 20, 2019
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If, as expected, the 49ers beat the Vikings, San Francisco will host the winner of Sunday’s Seahawks-Packers game for a berth in Super Bowl LIV. If the Vikings somehow pull off the upset, Sunday’s game takes on much greater significance for the victors.
Whoever prevails at Lambeau Field would host the NFC Championship, with the Vikings traveling to Green Bay or to Seattle. And, yes, a Seahawks win would set up an unprecedented fifth-seed hosts sixth-seed for a spot in the Super Bowl.
The outcome of the Saturday game arguably means much more to the Packers. San Francisco thumped Green Bay 37-8 on Sunday night in Week 12, and if the Packers know entering their Sunday night game against Seattle that a victory means another trip to play the 49ers, that could be a factor. At a minimum, the vibe will be considerably different if the Packers know that a win means hosting the Vikings or traveling to see the 49ers.
Consider this: Five years ago, the Broncos hosted the Colts in the divisional round, when they knew that a win would result in playing the AFC Championship against the Patriots in New England. And the Colts won. And former Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas believed that some of his teammates didn’t want to go to New England.
“I feel like guys kind of looked over the Colts,” Thomas told PFT Live two weeks after the Denver season ended. “You had guys always talking the night before the game, you had, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go to New England and play New England.’ And I think that was one of the big things.”
Given that the Seahawks beat the 49ers in Santa Clara, it’s far more likely that Packers players will be disinclined to return to California than Seattle players would be. Which makes Saturday’s game on NBC potentially critical to the mindset that the Packers will have the next day — and which potentially will influence the outcome of the game.