Complete Bye Week Viewing Guide for Green Bay Packers

Clinching a first-round bye with a victory in the de facto NFC North championship against the Detroit Lions last week, the Green Bay Packers get to comfortably watch the Wild Card Round surrounding their home television sets.

Had they lost to the Lions, not only would they not be hosting a divisional round playoff game at Lambeau Field, but they'd be visiting AT&T Stadium this weekend. The importance of their 30-20 victory over Detroit can't be stressed quite enough.

Other than getting healthy, the squad will have plenty to do over their break, as the four games played on Saturday and Sunday could each impact their road to a Lombardi Trophy. Looking at each game from the perspective of the Packers, the tiered importance of the games become clearer.

NFC: Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Kicking off at 3:35 p.m. Central Time, the first NFC playoff game of the postseason features the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers.

The Cardinals whimper into the match after four losses in six weeks, including back-to-back losses in the past two. The Panthers, despite a 7-8-1 losing record, have built momentum heading into the playoffs, winning four straight games after going on a stretch of no wins over eight weeks in the middle of the season.

The largest reason for the late-season shift of each team are their quarterbacks. Arizona is now on their third quarterback, Ryan Lindley, after starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton went down with injuries.

Carolina's top passer, Cam Newton, was fighting off an ankle issue to begin the season, then was involved in a car crash, which seems to have looked worse on the part of Newton's health than it functionally was. Back as the starter, Newton has been playing like the "hummer hybrid" of old.

For Green Bay, one would assume they'd rather face the Cardinals out of the two teams. The Panthers' zone-read possibilities don't bode well for the Packers and their recent trends against those types of squads in the playoffs.

Able to go toe-to-toe with Mike McCarthy's squad, Carolina is the bigger threat of the two teams. Arizona, who have averaged 12 points per game over the past eight weeks, nearly a third of Green Bay's season average, seem to be the best matchup for the team.

Packers' impact level: 4/5

NFC: Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

For the 3:40 p.m. CT Sunday game, the Detroit Lions visit the Dallas Cowboys in probably the most important game of the weekend when factoring in the Packers' perspective.

The reason this is so is the way the NFL's playoff system works. Green Bay holds the second seed in the NFC, so while it has a week off, it plays the highest seed remaining from the Wild Card Round. Dallas, who is the third seed, is that team if the Cowboys win. If it loses, the Lions, the lowest seed in the NFC, will lock up a battle against the Seattle Seahawks.

If the Cowboys win, simply, they face the Packers. The Arizona vs. Carolina matchup means nothing for them for at least another week, and that's if and only if said team can upset the 2013-2014 Super Bowl champions in what many claim is the toughest home-field location in the sport.

The Cowboys aren't too different from the Packers. They have a high-flying offense that starts with their quarterback and their flawless offensive line. Dallas is the only team that has put together a better passer rating in 2014 than the Packers.

On the ground, both teams are also dangerous, as DeMarco Murray recently broke the franchise record for rushing yards, while Eddie Lacy has improved on the field since his 2013 Rookie of the Year campaign.

Both teams also have fairly underrated defenses, largely attributed to the coaching of defensive coordinators Rod Marinelli and Dom Capers, who have both been head coaches in the league.

On the other hand, Detroit is coming off a double-digit loss to the Packers, lead by a quarterback who has never beat a winning team on the road in his career. If for some reason the trend were to be bucked against the Cowboys, Green Bay would much rather take their chances with the Lions down the line rather than Dallas in the divisional round.

Packers' impact level: 5/5

AFC: Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Green Bay cannot face any of these four squads until a potential Super Bowl, meaning they would have to win three games to see the matchup.

The first AFC head-to-head is between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. After beating the Steelers at home, 26-6, in Week 2, they bombed on the road, 43-23, in their second meeting. Again on the road, one has to question if the up-and-down Joe Flacco can overcome an explosive Steelers team that ranks second in yards per game in the league.

Pittsburgh, like Dallas, isn't too different from Green Bay. It has a pair of triplets in Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Bell, who sustained a hyper-extended knee last week, will miss the matchup, the team announced, but could be back before the Steelers continue their playoff stretch.

The injury to Pittsburgh's top running back doesn't necessarily give Baltimore an edge in the game, either. The Ravens have a noted poor secondary, which for the year ranks 22nd in opponent completion percentage.

Since opening at even odds, the game has swung three points in favor of the Steelers, according to Odds Shark. While it would benefit to have Pittsburgh out of the playoffs for the Packers' Super Bowl odds, it would seem the Ravens, the sixth seed in the AFC, are a nail looking for a hammer.

Packers' impact level: 2/5

AFC: Cincinnati Bengals @ Indianapolis Colts

Sanford Myers/Associated Press

The second game in the AFC is the morning match on Sunday. Featuring the Cincinnati Bengals on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, who under Andrew Luck won a wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs last postseason. Odds Shark has charted recent lines from minus-3.5 to minus-3 in favor of the home team.

It's no surprise that the Bengals aren't favored. Under quarterback Andy Dalton, Cincinnati is 0-3 in the playoffs. In a tough AFC, there's doubt that either of these teams advance to the championship. Pittsburgh is has the best odds of a Super Bowl, per Odds Shark, as an AFC wild-card squad. Sitting at plus-2350, just over a four percent shot, it's unlikely that any non-Patriots or Broncos squads advance to Arizona for the big game.

From a Packers' perspective, the Colts are probably the team Green Bay would like least to be on the field against. If for no other reason, Andrew Luck looks like the future face of the league. Dalton, on the flip side, has had a terrible stretch of nationally televised games prior to overcoming Denver at the tail-end of the season.

If you need to catch up on your sleep after a New Year's week or feel like doing something nice for your family before binge watching NFL football for the next couple weekends, this would probably be the prime game to do so.

Packers' impact level: 1/5