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The Chicago Bears narrowly missed the playoffs in 2012, and adding salt to the wound is that both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings made it in. Those two teams will face each other in primetime on Saturday night in the first NFC matchup of this year's playoffs.
The Vikings, of course, defeated the Packers this past Sunday to clinch their playoff spot at the expense of the Bears. But that game came at home, and on Saturday Minnesota will find themselves returning to Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Vikings 23-14 there earlier this season, in a game in which Adrian Peterson's 210 yards were squandered thanks to an inept performance by Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder. Ponder was considerably better in Minnesota's win over Green Bay, and he'll need to continue his steady play if they're going to advance. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. CT on NBC.
Also on Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals will face the reeling Houston Texans at 3:30 p.m. CT on NBC. Sunday features the Indianapolis Colts visiting the Baltimore Ravens at noon CT on CBS and the Seattle Seahawks clashing with the Washington Redskins at 3:30 p.m. CT on FOX.