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Packers Homefield Surge Could Change the NFC Race

Originally posted on PackersTalk.com | By Bobby Santoro | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 10:52 AM ET

The Green Bay Packers have four games left in the regular season. Three of the four are road games, and now more than ever, they are must-win games. In Jordan Love‘s first two seasons as the Packers quarterback, the team has made the playoffs but failed to win the NFC North. This team is more than capable of going on the road and beating anyone in the league; however, after what we saw this past weekend at Lambeau, homefield advantage could be the key to this team making a Super Bowl run.

This past weekend was the perfect example of how the crowd at Lambeau Field can ignite this team. December football in Green Bay, single-digit temperatures, breath hanging in the air like smoke from a battlefield. Being at the game, the atmosphere wasn’t loud; it was flat-out electric! It felt like a playoff atmosphere in every aspect. And the Packers fed off it.

Even after the Bears tried to take the life out of the game with their 17-play scoring drive, and even after some of the worst officiating calls that you will see, including a blatant no-call on a play that Micah Parsons was mugged, let alone held, the crowd never let the energy fade.

That’s the thing: from December on, this team isn’t just better at home—they become a version of themselves that might not exist anywhere else. The confidence, the communication, the swagger… It’s different when 80,000 cheeseheads are behind them, and the air hurts to breathe.

And that’s precisely why locking in a home playoff game this year matters more than it has at any point in the Jordan Love era.

The NFC Is Wide Open, and Lambeau Is a Weapon

There is no clear favorite in the NFC this year, and each team has its flaws. Every single team can be beaten, and with the conference being this chaotic, teams will look to gain any advantage they can.

Not every stadium turns into a weapon when the temperature drops. Lambeau does. Warm-weather teams crumble. Dome teams panic. Even balanced teams lose their footing, literally and mentally. Love gets to operate in the environment where he’s grown into a legit top-tier quarterback.

The defense gains that extra half-second of disruption because the crowd noise nukes opposing protections. And the Packers get to lean into the identity they’ve been building all year: physical, resilient, and late-game closers who don’t flinch in the cold.

The Packers’ Road Ahead Raises the Stakes

With three of the final four games happening on the road, the margin for error is minimal. These aren’t “coast and survive” matchups. These are going to be games against teams fighting for either playoff positioning or a playoff spot (outside the Vikings).

Last year, the Packers were good enough to hang with anybody but not stable enough to close out the tight ones consistently. This year feels different. Jordan Love is ascending. The offense is more balanced. The defense is finally finishing games instead of surviving them. And the locker room feels like it has fully embraced the idea that the Lambeau advantage isn’t a cliché, it’s the identity.

If the Packers want to maximize this version of themselves, they can’t just limp into the postseason. They can’t settle for another year of the playoffs on the road. They need January football to be at home in the Frozen Tundra.

Bottom Line:

A home playoff game doesn’t just “help.” It raises the ceiling on what this team can be. After witnessing the way Lambeau came alive against Chicago, the cold, the noise, the whole place humming like it already knew what was at stake, it’s obvious now: The road to Santa Clara needs to run through Lambeau Field.

This article first appeared on PackersTalk.com and was syndicated with permission.

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