Packers' Playoff History Facts & Tidbits

Only ten more days to go until Packers Training Camp 2012! To keep me from going nuts waiting for football to get back underway, I went digging into Green Bay's playoff history, looking for interesting nuggets. Here's what I found:

-You could make a strong case for Packers-Giants as the greatest Packers playoff rivalry of all time, and possibly one of the greatest playoff rivalries in all of football. The teams have met seven times, with five of those coming in NFL Championship games (pre-Super Bowl era). The Packers lost their first championship meetup with New York (in 1938), but beat them four times over the next few decades in 1939, 1944, 1961 and 1962. The '61 win, a 37-0 demolition derby, marked the first playoff win of the Vince Lombardi era. (Lombardi himself had been the Giants' offensive coordinator until after the 1958 season, when he accepted the Packers job.) The Giants, of course, beat Green Bay in the '07 and '11 playoffs; their last playoff loss to the Packers was 1962.

-The San Francisco 49ers beat Green Bay in 1998 on "The Catch II" to Terrell Owens, but they're just 1-4 against the Packers. Green Bay used them as a doormat in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2001.

-Of course, Green Bay has had its share of futility too. Their all-time nemeses, the Dallas Cowboys, have won four of their six playoff meetings. The Packers won at Dallas in 1966, and won the famous Ice Bowl meeting in '67, but are 0-4 since that time. All four meetings were in Dallas, and three came in consecutive years (1982, '93, '94, '95).

-The Packers have met opponents from the present-day NFC East a total of 18 times in the playoffs (out of 46 total playoff games), holding an 8-10 record. They've pretty much owned the NFC West (8-3, including 2-0 against Seattle) and the NFC South (4-1), but are middling against the rest of the NFC North (3-2).

-Out of the 15 NFC teams, the Packers have played at least one playoff game against all but one: the New Orleans Saints. (Granted, the Saints have played only 14 playoff games all-time.) The Ravens, Bengals, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Texans, Titans, Jaguars and Chargers have also never met the Packers in the playoffs; Green Bay is 6-1 against current AFC teams, beating the Browns, Colts, Chiefs, Raiders, Patriots and Steelers but losing, of course, to the Broncos.

-In NFL championship games, the Packers have an all-time record of 10-3. They are 4-1 against the Giants in such games (as mentioned), 0-1 against the Eagles and Broncos, and 1-0 against the Chiefs, Raiders, Redskins and Steelers.

-The Green and Gold have played in five overtime games, winning two and losing three. They're 10-12 on the road. They were 13-0 at home before 2002, but are a lousy 2-4 since at Lambeau Field. The Falcons, Vikings and Giants (twice) have stomped the Packers at home, while all Green Bay has to show for home playoff wins in the last decade or so is a pair of victories over the Seahawks. They're 4-1 at neutral sites, though (those being the Super Bowls).

-Barrage of stats! Most points scored in a playoff game: 48 (@ Atlanta, 2010). Fewest scored: 3 (vs. Redskins, 1972). Biggest margin of victory: 37 points (37-0 vs. Giants, 1961). Worst defeat: 28 points (17-45 @ St. Louis, 2001). Most yards gained: 493 (@ Arizona, 2009). Most yards allowed: 531 (also @ Arizona, 2009). Ditto most points allowed (51).

-Fun fact: In four games in 2010, the Packers forced 11 turnovers. In three games in 1996, they forced twelve. That's what a No. 1 defense will do for your chances. The Packers are 20-2 all-time in the playoffs when winning the turnover battle, 4-2 when the teams commit the same number of turnovers and 5-13 when they commit more turnovers than the opponent. They also managed to beat the L.A. Rams in 1967, 28-7, despite losing three fumbles and one Bart Starr interception (compared to a single Rams turnover). Don't ask me how.

-Yes, I am this bored. Training camp cannot come soon enough. All glory (and stats) emanate from Pro Football Reference.