It’s the Packers and 49ers for the right to go to Super Bowl LIV

The Green Bay Packers are one win away from the Super Bowl, but first they have to take care of the San Francisco 49ers on the road in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night.

The Packers are playing in this game because of their 28-23 home victory over the Seattle Seahawks while the 49ers won 27-10 at home vs the Minnesota Vikings the day before the Packers won their game. As we all know, the Packers fell 37-8 to the 49ers on the road. The Packers haven’t lost since that meeting.

Jimmy Garoppolo has two Super Bowl rings as a backup to Tom Brady, but he would like nothing more than to write his own legacy. He has a lot of great offensive weapons around him like RB Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida. He also has receivers like Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders. Arguably none of them are as intimidating as TE George Kittle. The Packers need to find a way to keep the ball out of Kittle’s hands as much as possible and if the ball should land in his hands, they need to tackle him right away. They need to make Jimmy G as uncomfortable as possible back there. They got no takeaways in their previous meeting. I think they need at least a few to win this game.

The offense had their worst performance of the season in the first meeting between these two teams. Aaron Rodgers and the offense moved the ball very well at times vs Seattle. They will need to score touchdowns once again if they are to get past SF. It all starts at the line of scrimmage and the Packers were manhandled there on that Sunday night in late November. They need to give Rodgers time to throw. Aaron Jones and the running game must produce and the receivers need to catch whatever is thrown their way. Jimmy Graham made some plays vs Seattle, including the clinching first down, and it was a first down. Let’s put that to rest. If you are out there, get open and make a play.

The 49ers have won 5 Super Bowls but none since the 1994-95 season. That was one year before the Dallas Cowboys won their most recent Super Bowl. We enjoy making fun of the Cowboys and their fans about how they are stuck in the past. In that case, we should include the 49ers as well. The 49ers were once 5-0 in Super Bowls but that perfect record ended when they lost to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, two years after the Packers won their most recent SB.

The Packers and 49ers have met in the playoffs 7 previous times. The Packers hold a 4-3 edge, including a win in the NFC Championship Game at SF in January of 1998. The 49ers were the last road team to win at Lambeau Field in the playoffs.

Matt LaFleur has a sibling coaching on the other team’s sidelines. His younger brother Mike is a passing game coordinator for the 49ers, so it means that one LaFleur will make it to the Super Bowl.

If any of you are wondering how the Packers could possibly win after losing in blowout fashion in the regular season, I thought of 2014 and the Seahawks. Seattle prevailed in a 36-16 rout of the Packers in the opening game of the season. The Packers went there in the playoffs and we all know that they fell short in one of the most heartbreaking losses in Packer history. The point is they had a chance to win a game after being blown out in the regular season. On Sunday, the score will be 0-0 during the opening kickoff. The only thing that matters is what happens during those 60 minutes on Sunday. Whoever is the better team on that day will be the winner and advance to Super Bowl LIV.

Since that infamous Sunday night in Santa Clara, it should have been obvious that the Packers were going to have to face the 49ers once again in order to advance to the Super Bowl this year. Not many people are giving the Packers much chance in this game and that is fine. I don’t care as long as the players and coaches believe. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. I think the Packers will be much better prepared and we will see a competitive game. This is for a spot in Super Bowl LIV. Let’s go out there and shock the world on Sunday.

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901