Packers look to strike more gold in these playoffs as they face the 49ers
The Packers, the #7 seed, now get ready to visit Santa Clara for a Saturday evening matchup with the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers.
The Packers are now 10-8 after dispatching the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 on the road last Sunday. The 49ers finished the season 12-5 and are coming off a bye week. Their last game was a 21-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but that was after they clinched the top seed.
The Packers get their first look up close at Brock Purdy. Despite a few bumps in the road here and there, he has been nothing short of incredible, especially given that he was the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has an enormous amount of weapons around him, especially Christian McCaffrey. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle make quite a lethal combination in the passing game, and McCaffrey can catch the ball too. They can hit you in many different ways. The Packers must force turnovers and get after Purdy.
Jordan Love had quite a playoff debut. Aaron Jones ran the ball effectively, and Romeo Doubs made plays all game long vs the Cowboys. They will need all that and more vs SF. They took advantage of their scoring opportunities vs the Cowboys as they ended each trip to the redzone with the ball in the endzone. That must continue in this game.
Special teams will be a factor as well. They made plays last weekend, but Anders Carlson missed an extra point and the Packers gave up a long return. Mistakes like that against the 49ers are really going to sting.
This will be the 10th meeting between these two teams in the playoffs. The Packers went 4-1 in their first 5 meetings with the 49ers, but have dropped the last 4 to fall to 4-5. Can Jordan Love do what his predecessor Aaron Rodgers couldn’t do, and that’s beat the 49ers in the playoffs?
The Packers were considered a long shot to beat the Cowboys, and they not only beat them, they destroyed them despite what the final score indicated. The 49ers are a much different animal. They are a physical group, both on offense and defense. The Packers need to be ready for a battle on both sides of the ball and on special teams.
The Cowboys have become the butt of many jokes throughout the years for their inability to recapture past glory and win another Super Bowl. Their last championship came in the 1995-96 season, but did you know that the 49ers have an even bigger drought? They last won it all the previous season. That doesn’t sit well with the 49er faithful. They desperately want to add another trophy to their Super Bowl collection.
After their beatdown of the Cowboys, the Packers are not going to sneak up on anybody. The 49ers are not going to want their season to go up in flames like it did with the Cowboys. Which 49er team will come out on Saturday night? Will it be the one that looked dominant for much of the year, or will they come out rusty? They are coming off a bye week after all, and some of their key players have not played in 2 weeks. If the Packers execute the way they are capable of doing, they can win this game.
Every team in the league has flaws, including the 49ers. It’s not just up to the Packers to expose them, but to use their flaws against them. Baltimore was able to do that quite nicely. The Bengals, Browns, and even the Vikings defeated the 49ers this season. There is no reason why the Packers can’t do the same.
I think this game will come down to turnovers and field position. The Packers did what they needed to do last Sunday and that’s jump ahead early. If they can take an early lead and keep it going throughout the game, they have a chance. Let’s have fun out there and get another victory!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackersFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
