GREEN BAY – The Packers have reached this stage a lot lately. But it's been awhile for the Buccaneers.
The history of the two franchises in the NFC Championship Game is starkly different as they head into Sunday's 2:05 p.m. CT showdown at Lambeau Field with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line.
For the Packers, this is their ninth appearance in the NFC title game, all in the last quarter century, and fourth in seven years. Green Bay is 3-5 in the previous eight contests, having lost three straight, all on the road. Two of the three times the Packers won the game, they went on to win the Super Bowl.
For the Buccaneers, it's just their fourth appearance in franchise history and first in 18 years. They are 1-2, with one Super Bowl title.
The history of the two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks is rather different as well.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgershas advanced to his fifth NFC title game as a starter, with a 1-3 record thus far. Buccaneers QB Tom Brady is in his 14th conference title game, the first 13 coming with the Patriots in the AFC, where he posted a 9-4 mark. Brady had played in the AFC title game eight straight years before the streak was broken in 2019.
Here's a listing of both teams' histories in the NFC Championship Game, as well as Brady's history (* denotes also won Super Bowl; Rodgers' history for the Packers starts with the 2010 game):
Packers
1995 at Dallas, L 38-27
*1996 vs. Carolina, W 30-13
1997 at San Francisco, W 23-10
2007 vs. N.Y. Giants, L 23-20 OT
*2010 at Chicago, W 21-14
2014 at Seattle, L 28-22 OT
2016 at Atlanta, L 44-21
2019 at San Francisco, L 37-20
Totals: 3-5 (1-1 home, 2-4 road)
Buccaneers
1979 at LA Rams, L 9-0
1999 at St. Louis, L 11-6
*2002 at Philadelphia, W 27-10
Totals: 1-2 (0-0 home, 1-2 road)
Brady
*2001 at Pittsburgh, W 24-17
*2003 vs. Indianapolis, W 24-14
*2004 at Pittsburgh, W 41-27
2006 at Indianapolis, L 38-34
2007 vs. San Diego, W 21-12
2011 vs. Baltimore, W 23-20
2012 vs. Baltimore, L 28-13
2013 at Denver, L 26-16
*2014 vs. Indianapolis, W 45-7
2015 at Denver, L 20-18
*2016 vs. Pittsburgh, W 36-17
2017 vs. Jacksonville, W 24-20
*2018 at Kansas City, W 37-31 OT
Totals: 9-4 (6-1 home, 3-3 road)
