Green Bay is looking forward to a possible third meeting
File in this under the “looking too far ahead” department, but some Green Bay writers are grasping at the opportunity to continue their wild card run, and upset the Vikings in a possible playoff game ruining the hopes and dreams of all Vikings fans.
A couple reasons for optimism exist. Mainly, their ability to beat up on mediocre teams. What seemed like a big win just nine days ago over Dallas, no appears to not be quite as impressive, but give Green Bay kudos for holding off a scrappy 49er team at home. The other cause for optimism is in the belief that “It’s hard to beat a team third time!”
After some google searching on records, I’ve found the following statistic. Since the 1970 merger, teams have played the same foe in a “three game season series” only nineteen times. Of that, the team who won the first meetings have won 0.63 percent of the time. See below:
| Season | Teams | Result |
| 1982 | Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets | Won |
| 1983 | Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Raiders | Lost |
| 1986 | New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins | Won |
| 1989 | Houston Oilers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | Lost |
| 1991 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Raiders | Won |
| 1992 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers | Lost |
| 1993 | Los Angeles Raiders vs. Denver Broncos | Won |
| 1994 | Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears | Lost |
| 1994 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns | Won |
| 1997 | New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins | Won |
| 1997 | Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Won |
| 1998 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals | Lost |
| 1999 | Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | Won |
| 2000 | New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles | Won |
| 2002 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns | Won |
| 2004 | St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks | Won |
| 2004 | Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings | Lost |
| 2007 | Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants | Lost |
| 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens | Won |
Perhaps the reason why Packer fans are clinging to this belief is because one of the seven times the previous losing team came in and won was in 2004 when a Mike Tice coached Vikings team walked in and mooned the Packers with the aid of Randy Moss.
In that season, Green Bay beat Minnesota twice, both times by the same score of 34 – 31. Minnesota won the playoff game 31 – 17. Perhaps the reason why the upset was pulled was because both games were close in the first two meetings, something that wasn’t the case this year with Minnesota easily handling Green Bay with neither game in doubt.
| Season | Teams | Result |
| 1982 | Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets | Won |
| 1983 | Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Raiders | Lost |
| 1986 | New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins | Won |
| 1989 | Houston Oilers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | Lost |
| 1991 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Raiders | Won |
| 1992 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers | Lost |
| 1993 | Los Angeles Raiders vs. Denver Broncos | Won |
| 1994 | Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears | Lost |
| 1994 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns | Won |
| 1997 | New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins | Won |
| 1997 | Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Won |
| 1998 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals | Lost |
| 1999 | Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | Won |
| 2000 | New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles | Won |
| 2002 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns | Won |
| 2004 | St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks | Won |
| 2004 | Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings | Lost |
| 2007 | Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants | Lost |
| 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens | Won |
