Matt Lafleur

Green Bay will open the playoffs against San Francisco on Saturday night after the 49ers upset the Cowboys in the wild card round.

Over the final five games, Allen Lazard caught 21 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns, finishing the regular season with 40 receptions for 513 yards and eight TDs.

The Minnesota Vikings have begun the search for a new coach by seeking interviews with an initial slate of seven candidates, including Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Wild-card weekend for the NFC pits the Eagles at the Buccaneers on Saturday, the 49ers at the Cowboys on Sunday and the Cardinals at the Rams on Monday night.

Decision making, timing and accuracy continue to be the areas of focus.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was joined on The Associated Press All-Pro team by wide receiver Davante Adams and inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.

Veteran edge rusher Whitney Mercilus was taking part in the team’s playoff bye week practice and joining a group that is also on the cusp of getting two All-Pro players — outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander — back from injury, too.

Sixth-year defensive end Dean Lowry set career highs in sacks (five) and quarterback pressures (42, according to Pro Football Focus) during the best season of his career.

An extra week of games, close finishes and a non-election year helped propel the NFL to its highest regular-season ratings in six years.

Packers linebacker Za’Darius Smith returned to practice Wednesday after having back surgery and being out since the season opener.

Rookie center Josh Myers suffered a knee injury in the Packers’ Oct. 17 win over the Bears at Soldier Field and was sidelined for the next 10 games.

“These guys are so deserving. And I always tell all these guys, ‘We wouldn’t be in this spot today without the collective effort of our entire coaching staff,’” head coach Matt LaFleur said.

The Packers earned all 12 first-place votes for 384 points in balloting Tuesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL.

The Packers coach just wants to make sure his talented musicians aren’t merely ready; he’d also like to blend them back in the band and have the end result be a beautiful symphony, not an off-key cacophony.

The players have Monday and Tuesday off before light practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Columnist Jim Polzin breaks down what he liked, what he didn't like and what it all means after the Packers fell to the Lions 37-30 in their regular-season finale at Ford Field. 

For a team that already had secured the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and the conference's lone first-round bye, Sunday’s 37-30 loss to the Lions still checked most of the let’s-avoid-catastrophe boxes the Packers surely had in the back of their minds.

For as eager as Bakhtiari had been over the last two months to get back into game action, Green Bay's five-time All-Pro left tackle was ready to just save his season debut for the postseason.

Columnist Jim Polzin grades the Packers' performance in their 37-30 loss to the Detroit Lions in their regular-season finale at Ford Field in Detroit. 

These Lions didn't give up. They didn't roll over and play for the loss, like they could have. And there is something noble, if not encouraging in that.

The NFL’s playoff field was set when the Raiders locked up the final wild-card spot by beating the Chargers in overtime in a wild, winner-take-all game Sunday night.

The Packers rested several starters ahead of the playoffs and it proved costly as the Lions pulled out a 37-30 victory in an NFC North battle at Ford Field.

Davante Adams is expected to break Jordy Nelson's single-season franchise receiving mark on Sunday.