Packers can't let this opportunity get away

[Cheesehead]

It's always been fair to wonder if things might have unfolded differently had the Packers beaten the Vikings in Week 17 to earn the bye. That would have sent Chicago to San Francisco for the wild-card round. If the 49ers had deployed the read-option to beat the Bears and advance, would the Packers have been better prepared to contain it a week later?


Statistically, Kaepernick had averaged just 38 rushing yards in the eight games after he took over the QB post from Alex Smith. Then he bamboozled the Packers for 181 yards on the ground. It was the ultimate playoff surprise.


San Francisco went on to overcome a 17-0 deficit in the NFC title game at top-seeded Atlanta to reach the Super Bowl, so maybe the Packers wouldn't have won the divisional game anyway with the bye and home field. But the point is no one will ever know.


This isn't to suggest that the Seahawks or Saints, who are also in the running for this year's top seed and bye, will put some major tricks up their sleeve during a week off. Or that the Packers will or should do the same. All the potential NFC No. 1's are established teams with veteran QBs. Everyone knows who they are.


But the bye still would be invaluable to rest and refresh. The Packers haven't had an extended break since Week 5, and whether or not players are on the injury report, everyone is banged up this time of year. Any freshness to the legs in January is welcome. A couple of additional practices with the new starting offensive line in the wake of David Bakhtiari's season-ending knee injury, without having to play another game right away, wouldn't hurt either.


Also, this time the stakes are even higher. Only the No. 1 seed gets the bye, so only the No. 1 needs to win just two games to reach the Super Bowl, not three. The No. 1 also hosts the conference championship if it wins the divisional game, and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has yet to play that game in Lambeau Field, having gone 1-3 on the road, losing his last three tries ('14, '16, '19).


The Bears are in what amounts to a do-or-die situation, while the Packers know they have more football ahead regardless. But what's on the line for the Packers doesn't feel any less significant.


"There's a lot at stake for both squads," Rodgers said. "We know what kind of game it's going to be."


Added receiver Davante Adams: "We obviously know what's in front of us."


So don't let history repeat itself.