The Green Bay Packers are going to the NFC Championship Game. After a 28-23 victory over Seattle that ended maybe a little too close for some fans’ liking, the Packers are onto San Francisco for a rematch with the 49ers. Only this time, win and you’re in (the Super Bowl). 

“All I can say is, that’s pretty indicative of our entire season right there,” Head Coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. It was a hard fought battle for a full four quarters, but Green Bay put the game away when it needed to. 

The Packers are 60 minutes away from a sixth Super Bowl appearance for the franchise. That certainly isn’t lost on any of the players in the locker room, veterans or rookies. 

“We have had some ugly wins this year, but a lot of them have involved some moments of adversity that we’ve pushed through. And I think that’s a characteristic of our football team, is in those moments, we’ve come up with plays,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

“Whether it’s a pass, or the line blocking and a run springing, or a defensive stop, or a great, game-winning punt. You know? We’ve had a lot of those moments where we’ve needed a play at a certain time. We’ve needed a stop on defense. Preston came up with a sack. We needed to convert a couple of big third downs and we made it happen. That’s just the character of this football team. It’s very high, and there’s a lot of belief in those moments that we’re going to get the job done. And today was fun to have to have plays and to make them.”

Rodgers was in playoff form on Sunday against Seattle, completing 16 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 113.7. 

Both of those touchdown passes were caught by Davante Adams, who set a new franchise record with 160 yards on eight catches against the Seahawks. Rodgers had some high praise for his No. 1 receiver after the game, comparing the relationship he has with Adams to one he had with former receiver Jordy Nelson.

“Tonight reminds me of the connection that Jordy and I had for so many years where there’s some unspoken things that we could do without even communicating anything about it. And Davante made three or four plays like that tonight, so that was pretty fun,” said Rodgers. 

The Packers were also much improved on third down against Seattle, going 9-of-14 for a 64% completion percentage. Tight end Jimmy Graham had perhaps his best game of the season, with three receptions (all on third-down) for 49 yards. He also caught the final pass of the game, giving the Packers a first down and the opportunity to run out the clock. 

The first down, of course, was reviewed for what felt like an eternity on the field, because games against Seattle can never wrap up smoothly. When asked how the quarterback felt about the first-down ruling, QB1 smiled. 

“We kinda got hosed in that first quarter one, so I was hoping we didn’t get hosed again,” said Rodgers, referencing the “no clear recovery” call on a fumble that allowed Seattle to maintain possession of the football. 

“It was a true team effort,” said Graham. “It’s just a special win, it really is. Now we have the opportunity to be one win away from going back onto Miami.”

Running back Aaron Jones also had a busy night on the ground. While he only tallied 62 yards on 21 attempts, he did add another two touchdowns on the scoreboard. For Jones, and many other players in the locker room, this was his first postseason appearance. Now, the next game is for a shot at a ring. 

“60 minutes away. One play at a time, one snap at a time, I’ll play them every play and we’ll be where we want to be,” said Jones. 

Defensively, the players had their hands full trying to contain an elusive Russell Wilson for a full four quarters. Despite jumping out to a 21-3 lead at the half, Wilson came back in the second half and made plays on the ground, scrambling and extending drives to bring the Seahawks within one score. 

Za’Darius Smith got the team started with a sack early, flashing a “snubbed” shirt under his jersey. When asked about the shirt, Z played it off. 

“We’re worried about getting to the Super Bowl baby,” he said, before adding, “but the world know what that shirt meant.”

Za’Darius made sure to give Preston plenty of praise at the duo’s post-game interview, as both finished with two sacks on the night. Za’Darius mentioned that Preston was roaming the sidelines saying he needed to make a play, then he did just that, sacking Wilson to force a punt. The Seahawks never got the ball back. 

Preston described chasing Wilson like “chasing a chicken in a field with no fence.” And for those that aren’t familiar with the visual, he suggests you YouTube it. 

“I think I talked to ‘12’ a week ago, and he was just talking about this opportunity we have to go all the way.” Za’Darius said, referencing how Rodgers alluded to the defense helping him win his second ring. “It’s win or go home now.”

While this team is close to its first Super Bowl berth since the 2010 season, nobody is getting ahead of themselves in the locker room. After all, San Francisco handed Green Bay its worst loss of the season in Week 12. 

“To be in this position, do as well as we did in the regular season, and to come out and make a statement with this win when nobody thought that we would, everybody was against us, all the ugly wins, I guess they didn’t look good enough for everybody to think we were going to come out here and handle business. So I’m proud of my boys,” said Davante Adams.

Adams referenced that he’s already been to two NFC Championship Games, so while the excitement is there, there’s still plenty in front of them. “I’ll be really excited when we get on the plane to go to Miami,” he added. “We’re not jumping the gun, we still have one in front of us. But to be in this situation where everything is still in front of us at this point in the season is definitely a great feeling and I’m happy about it.”

Cornerback Kevin King, another player who made his first playoff appearance against Seattle, was asked at his locker what a chance at the Super Bowl feels like. 

“It feels like we’ve got one more game to play,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“They’re a great football team. We’re a great football team. So the best team is going to come out of there,” added Kenny Clark. 

“What we’ve done is closed out games the right way,” said Rodgers at the podium. “This is where it gets really fun. There’s only four teams left, and we’re one of them. We’ve got a legitimate chance.”

The players and coaches remember what happened at Levi’s Stadium earlier in the season, but LaFleur is convinced this is a different Packers team now, with players echoing that they’re ready for a rematch, and that this time they won’t “beat themselves” early. 

While the team prepares for San Francisco, the importance of a home playoff game at Lambeau Field wasn’t lost on the team, and in the self-proclaimed back-nine of his career, Rodgers made sure to soak up every piece of the atmosphere. 

“It’s the last home game of the year. And we have such a special relationship with our fans. Guys who have been other places understand how special it is here. It’s just a different connection. We don’t have an owner. We have thousands of people who have a piece of paper that’s a stock certificate. But people feel like they’re invested in what we’re doing,” said Rodgers. “They stuck with us through a couple rough years, so to walk off the field being a No. 2 seed, where, let’s be honest, I don’t know that even our fans felt supremely confident in us. Which, I know that a lot of the media didn’t as well. But to be able to walk off that field again victorious, there’s no feeling like it.

“I stopped myself in the second quarter tonight, and was looking around when it was a TV timeout and they were waving the flags, and I just couldn’t, it was just a special moment. Just seeing just the whole stadium waving those white towels and just, I just think I was really, in that moment, grateful for the opportunity and loving what I do.”

LaFleur made sure to also give praise to you, Packers fans, for getting loud all season and supporting the team the entire way. One more win and this team is going to the Super Bowl. But first, it’s time to take care of business with a rematch by the Bay.