With the divisional round getting under way in just a few hours, let’s see how the Packers matchup against the (somehow) feared San Francisco 49ers. While, as a fan, it’s considered taboo to “take an opponent lightly,” the perception of the Packers is that they’re somehow the underdog when they’ve:
- Already beaten the 49ers this season.
- Proved to be the best team in the NFL for the entire season.
- Have the 1 seed and have only gotten healthier.
Hopefully this gives Green Bay added juice to motivate them to come out and execute. Since San Fran is coming off a decent win in Dallas, where they tried to give the game away but Dallas had other plans, they have some momentum, but at the same time, their worries outweigh the Packers’.
| SF Def. | GB Off. | |
| Rush | 103.2 (7) | 111.8 (18) |
| Pass | 206.5 (6) | 253.8 (8) |
| Total | 310.0 (3) | 365.6 (10) |
| Points | 21.5 (T-9) | 26.5 (T-9) |
| SF Off. | GB Def. | |
| Rush | 127.4 (7) | 109.1 (T-10) |
| Pass | 248.3 (12) | 219.1 (10) |
| Total | 375.7 (7) | 328.2 (9) |
| Points | 25.1 (13) | 21.8 (T-13) |
As we can see, based on pure yardage, San Francisco has ranked higher all season, and in points both teams are identically matched up. Which should lead one to believe that’s it’s an even matchup, kind of like their week 3 meeting. While in my last article, “Re-Seeding the NFC playoffs” the 49ers technically are the 3rd strongest team in the conference, with Green Bay ranking 5th. The item that those rankings doesn’t take into account is pure record of wins and losses; the most important.
The media is quite focused on WR #19 Deebo Samuel, as well they should be, the Packers feature a better WR (#17 Davante Adams) and actually are better at every single position other than DE, TE, and K. If the game does come down to kicking, at least Mason Crosby has been there in the past and delivered each time in the postseason.
Oh, and yeah, he kicked a game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired to beat these same San Francisco 49ers. However, I don’t believe the game will be that close.
49ers 17
Packers 27
Season: 12-5
Overall: 81-41
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