The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers host the New York Giants in an NFC Divisional Round playoff game Sunday at Lambeau Field (4:30 p.m. ET/FOX). You might say Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy is looking forward to it.
“Now it’s time to play real football,” McCarthy said. "“That’s what playoff football is all about. It’s exciting and it’s fun. Players and coaches live for these types of games.”
The game pits a pair of quarterbacks who have won Super Bowl MVPs in Eli Manning of the Giants (XLII) and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (XLV).
Rodgers set an NFL single-season record with a 122.5 passer rating, throwing for a franchise-record 4,643 yards and 45 touchdowns. Rodgers, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XLV, is one of the top postseason quarterbacks in NFL history, ranking first all-time in passer rating (112.6), completion percentage (67.8 percent) and yards per pass attempt (8.72).
“Last year’s run is really going to help all of us,” says Rodgers. “It’s the playoffs now so the focus has to go up, the urgency goes up and the preparation is more refined.”