Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The football gods certainly have a sense of humor. How else to explain the matchups in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs? Whether it’s Ice Bowl II or the NFL’s version of “This is Your Life,” each one of the four games this weekend has a backstory as captivating as anything we’ll see on the field.

Here’s a look at each one:

BALTIMORE at NEW ENGLAND

Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET, NBC

It’s been an eternity since the Patriots were in the Super Bowl — OK, three years. But that counts as an eternity in Bill Belichick’s universe — and even longer (2005) since they won one. In fact, the whole AFC has been on something of a skid in the NFL’s biggest game, winning just one of the past five Super Bowls.

That one win? That would be by the Ravens, who earned their trip to New Orleans by upending the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

While that was Baltimore’s second victory over the Patriots in the 2012 season, the Ravens traditionally have not fared well against New England. They have just three victories in 11 meetings — though two of those were in the playoffs.

The Patriots have already exacted their revenge, pummeling the Ravens 41-7 in Week 16 of the 2013 season and ending any hopes Baltimore had for the AFC North title that year. But this is Belichick and the Patriots. There’s no such thing as too much payback.

(USA TODAY Sports)

CAROLINA at SEATTLE

Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Fox

There is little argument that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers are the elite quarterbacks of their generation, certain to be enshrined in Canton as soon as they’re eligible. But as they age, who will the next great quarterbacks be?
Glad you asked. You can see two of them in the same game Saturday, when the Panthers and Seahawks meet.

Along with Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson are two of the NFL’s most promising and exciting young quarterbacks. Newton was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and he has not disappointed, taking the Panthers to the postseason for the first time in five years last year and going one better this year by winning his first playoff game.

GMs the league over are still kicking themselves for letting Wilson fall to the Seahawks in the third round of the 2012 draft. In three seasons, all Wilson has done is win a Super Bowl and establish the Seahawks as the best team in the NFC.

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DALLAS at GREEN BAY

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET, Fox

Ice, ice baby!

Hard as it is to believe, this will be the Dallas’ first playoff game at Lambeau Field since the iconic Ice Bowl in 1967. Then again, it’s probably taken the Cowboys this long to thaw out.

With a game-time temperature of about minus-15 and the wind chill making it feel more like minus-48, players were numb from the cold before kickoff. As the final seconds ticked down and the Cowboys clung to a 17-14 lead, the Packers got within a yard of the Dallas end zone. A run play seemed ludicrous on a field that was more like an ice rink, but the Packers went ahead and ran one anyway. Jerry Kramer sprung Bart Starr with a block, and Starr dove into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Players on both teams will hear plenty about that game this week. But, fortunately for them, they won’t have to relive it. The forecast Sunday is comparatively balmy, with a high of 18 and winds just 5 to 10 mph.

(USA TODAY Sports)

INDIANAPOLIS at DENVER

Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET, CBS

Come on, does it even need to be said? Manning facing the team he played for for 13 years and the hotshot young quarterback who made the future Hall of Famer expendable. Luck and the Colts trying to advance to their first AFC title game since You Know Who was slinging it in Indianapolis.

Neither Manning nor Luck will utter a bad word about the other. “What he does, still does, is amazing,” Luck said after beating the Bengals in an AFC wild-card game. “I have a lot of respect for him.” Nor will they get sucked into the Past vs. Present hysteria. That’s fine because we’ll do it enough for the both of them.

As the continued existence of “Survivor,” “The Bachelor” and all things Kardashian prove, we’re a country that delights in artificial drama — and the bigger the spectacle, the better. If we can’t have another Harbaugh Bowl, this is the next-best thing in the NFL.

It doesn’t matter that Manning and the Colts have played each other twice before — including a 31-24 Denver win in Week 1. This is the first time Manning and Luck are seeing each other when it really matters, making it THE MOST DRAMATIC GAME EVER.