JR Radcliffe | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

There is one recurring misconception many people have about the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers, who won seven of their final 10 games just to get into the playoffs (and a tiebreaker on top of it). Like the 2017 team, which needs to win its final three games and get some help to reach the playoffs, the 2010 team didn't have Aaron Rodgers for a time (though it was for a much shorter absence, essentially two games).

One memory many people have from that season is a famous touchdown by then-Eagles returner DeSean Jackson, a play referred to today as "New Miracle at the New Meadowlands" on Dec. 19 (Week 15). Philadelphia scored four touchdowns in the final 7:28, including Jackson's punt return for a TD as time expired.

It was the play of the year in 2010, and the Giants received major criticism for punting the ball anywhere near Jackson with 14 seconds left on the clock. He first muffed the punt, then ran 65 yards for a winning score in the 38-31 win.

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Many Packers fans credit the play with helping the Packers beat the Giants on the playoff tiebreaker. Green Bay handled the Giants the following week, 45-17, and won a three-way tiebreaker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Giants at 10-6 for the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC. The Giants loss to Philadelphia obviously kept the Giants from going 11-5 and finishing ahead of our heroes.

The rest, of course, is history.

But here's the thing: there was a different game that actually played a massive role in giving the Packers that opportunity, and Jackson's heroics had nothing to do with it.

How the Packers officially got in

Green Bay, New York and Tampa Bay all finished 10-6 in the 2010 season. Other teams from the NFC that year were East champion Eagles (10-6, winning both games against the Giants for the tiebreaker), West champ Seahawks (7-9), South champ Falcons (13-3) and North champ Bears (11-5). The Saints (11-5) won the first Wild Card and went on to famously lose to the 7-9 Seahawks in the game remembered for Marshawn Lynch's "Beast Quake" touchdown run.

First tiebreaker: Head-to-head, but that only applies if a team had faced both of the other foes. Green Bay beat New York but didn't play Tampa.

Second tiebreaker: Record in NFC games. All three finished 8-4.

Third tiebreaker: Record of games against common opponents. This didn't apply because the criterion requires a minimum of four games -- and for Packers fans, it's a good thing that the number was four. The Giants were 3-0 against the Lions and Redskins, both teams that the Bucs and Packers had faced that year. The Bucs were 1-1 against those teams, and Packers were 1-2.

Fourth tiebreaker: Strength of victory. The Packers won handily here. The opponents Green Bay defeated had a record of 76-84, while Tampa was at 55-105 and the Giants were at 64-96.

What had happened if the Giants just didn't punt to DeSean Jackson?

It would have impacted the Packers in one way. The Eagles would have finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs, and the Giants would have won the East at 11-5. The Packers' playoff road would have begun in the Meadowlands against the Giants, instead of in Philadelphia. Green Bay went on to beat Philly, then Atlanta, then the Bears to reach the Super Bowl in Dallas.

Instead of the three-way tie, the Packers would have been simply tied at 10-6 for the final Wild Card with Tampa Bay and the Eagles would have been out of the equation entirely. The Bays didn't meet head-to-head, remember, so...

Second tiebreaker: Record in NFC games. Both finished 8-4.

Third tiebreaker: Record of games against common opponents. This time, it does apply, but both are 2-3 in games played against the 49ers, Falcons, Redskins and Lions.

Fourth tiebreaker: Strength of victory. The Packers still have it, 76 wins to 55. The Super Bowl run still could have happened the same way, unless one views the Giants as an insurmountable playoff obstacle in place of the Eagles.

So, what outcome really changed Green Bay's trajectory?

Chris O'Meara, Associated Press

It happened the same week as the Eagles-Giants game, when Tampa Bay fell at home to the Detroit Lions, 23-20, in overtime.

If Tampa had won any additional game, the Bucs have an 11-5 record at the end of the year, and the Packers can't compete with that at 10-6. Tampa and the Saints both get in with 11-5 records as the Wild Card teams. So it doesn't really boil down to one game.

But what made this one so remarkable was that the Lions were riding an NFL-record 26-game losing streak in road games, a skid that dated back to October of 2007. But Dave Rayner kicked a short field goal as time expired in regulation to force overtime, then kicked a 34-yarder for the victory.