Las Vegas Review-Journal

Packers chasing NFC’S No. 1 seed

Could get two playoff contests at Lambeau

- By Steve Megargee

The Green Bay Packers’ path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs is straightfo­rward.

Win their final three regular-season games, and the Packers (10-3) have the opportunit­y to earn a Super Bowl berth without leaving Lambeau Field. That’s a tantalizin­g possibilit­y for a franchise that has lost on the road in three of the past six NFC championsh­ip games.

The conference’s top seed only has to win two playoff games at home to make it to the Super Bowl. The Packers, who already have clinched the NFC North title, will try to take one more step toward earning that No. 1 seed when they host the slumping Carolina Panthers (4-9) on Saturday.

“Winning two football games at home and then playing in the Super Bowl, that’s crystal clear,” Packers wide receiver Davante Adams said. “That’s kind of the message we’ve had for the past week or two.”

The Packers follow up Carolina by hosting Tennessee (9-4) and visiting Chicago (6-7). The Packers and Saints (10-3) share the same record, but Green Bay owns a tiebreaker advantage after winning at New Orleans on Sept. 27.

Green Bay has won three straight thanks in part to the potent passing combinatio­n of Adams and Aaron Rodgers. Adams has 14 touchdown catches to tie Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill for first among all NFL players. Rodgers has thrown an Nfl-leading 39 touchdown passes.

Rodgers’ play has impressed Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who remembers watching tape of the twotime MVP while working as a New York Giants assistant offensive line coach in 2012. Rhule says Rodgers has the same physical skills now that he possessed then.

“He hasn’t aged,” Rhule said. “He’s unbelievab­le.”

Rodgers will be facing a Carolina defense that has struggled lately against lesser quarterbac­ks as the Panthers have dropped six of their past seven.

Rodgers superb season has raised hope that he could earn a third MVP honor after previously winning the award in 2011 and 2014.

“There’s not many guys that have won three, so that would definitely mean a lot,” Rodgers said. “I feel like I’ve been in the conversati­on, you know, a number of years outside of the two that I’ve won. We’re talking about in ’12 when A.P. (Adrian Peterson) went nuts against us in the last game of the year. I had a pretty good year that year. Obviously in ’16 we made a run and led the league in passing touchdowns. Didn’t really get a sniff for some reason that year. But I definitely felt like I was in the conversati­on. It’s nice to be back in the conversati­on.”

Tom Brady earned his third MVP honor in 2017. Peyton Manning holds the record with five.

The Panthers are coming off a 32-27 loss to Denver in which they allowed Drew Lock to throw for 280 yards and four touchdowns without an intercepti­on. Two weeks earlier, Carolina fell 28-27 to Minnesota as Kirk Cousins threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns without getting picked off.

Three of the Panthers’ past four losses have been decided by a total of eight points. In seven of Carolina’s losses, the Panthers had the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to win or send the game into overtime.

“It’s definitely a hump that we want to get over,” Panthers quarterbac­k Teddy Bridgewate­r said. “We are capable of getting over it, but we have to execute when that situation comes. And that starts with me being better in those situations.”

 ?? Paul Sancya The Associated Press ?? Green Bay Packers quarterbac­k Aaron Rodgers leads the league with 39 touchdown passes and is in the hunt for his third NFL MVP award.
Paul Sancya The Associated Press Green Bay Packers quarterbac­k Aaron Rodgers leads the league with 39 touchdown passes and is in the hunt for his third NFL MVP award.

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