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This Sunday (January 24th), the Green Bay Packers will play for the NFC Championship against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This match-up is the first of the two conference title games, starting at 3:05 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time).
The winner of these two games will play for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LV, on Sunday, February 7th, 2021, in Tampa, Florida.
This Game Marks a Few "Firsts" for both Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tomorrow's game is the first NFC Championship game played at home for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his career, he's led the Green Bay Packers to four previous title games, but they were all on the road. The first being in Chicago (on the way to a win in SB XLV), Seattle, Atlanta, and San Francisco, falling short in those last three games.
Even though the home crowd at Lambeau Field won't be at its full capacity (due to COVID-19 regulations), the weather forecast is still promising for classic Green Bay football.
This match-up is the first playoff meeting between quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady of the Buccaneers. Before now, they would've played against each other in only the Super Bowl, a game many football fans were aching to see. This was due to Rodgers having played his whole career in the NFC, and Brady previously playing in the AFC. A match-up like that would've been one for the ages, as both passers will almost certainly be first-ballot hall of famers.
This game is also the first time that the Buccaneers will face the Green Bay Packers since division realignment took place in 2002. Since 1977, the Bucs would face the Packers twice a year, in the old NFC Central division. Oddly enough, the first season after switching divisions, the Bucs would go on to win the Super Bowl that year.
Their last meeting against Green Bay Packers was in the divisional round of the 1997 playoffs. That game saw the likes of Brett Favre, Reggie White, Derrick Brooks, and Warren Sapp. The Packers would win that game, on their way to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXII.
The winner of Sunday's game gets a spot in Super Bowl LV and will face the winner of the AFC Championship Game (1/23/21 @ 6:05 p.m. EST), between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs.
