The Green Bay Packers aim for another road upset when they take on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round on Saturday night. The top-seeded 49ers (12-5) are well-rested and double-digit favorites against a Packers team that’s riding high after last weekend’s impressive showing.
The nightcap to Saturday’s doubleheader kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
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Green Bay (9-8) may have been the final team to secure a spot in the NFC bracket but the Packers didn’t look like a No. 7 seed against Dallas last Sunday. Jordan Love was near perfect in his first playoff start, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Green Bay jumped out to a 27-0 lead and coasted from there. Besides handing former Packers coach Mike McCarthy another crushing postseason defeat, the 48-32 victory also emphatically ended the Cowboys’ 16-game winning streak at home.
Next are the 49ers (12-5), who earned the No. 1 seed by going 10-2 against NFC teams and posting the third-best point differential (+193) in the entire league. This is a team that features five players who were named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
Four of those are on offense, led by running back Christian McCaffrey, a unanimous selection. The league leader in both rushing (1,459 yards) and yards from scrimmage (2,023), McCaffrey has had plenty of time to rest his legs and he’ll likely be the focal point of coach Kyle Shanahan’s game plan. Green Bay finished the regular season 28th in rushing defense and gave up 123 yards and nearly five yards per carry to the Cowboys last Sunday.
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Joining McCaffrey as a first-team, All-Pro is tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk (aka Kristin’s husband), and left tackle Trent Williams. There’s also the wide receiver duo of Brandon Aiyuk (second team) and Deebo Samuel who the Packers will have to deal with, as well.
The conductor of Shanahan’s multi-faceted attack is quarterback Brock Purdy. The league’s top-rated passer (113.0), Purdy was named to the Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,231 yards with 31 touchdowns and a league-best 9.6 yards per attempt. He also has unfinished business after leaving last season’s NFC Championship Game against Philadelphia with an elbow injury.
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The Packers’ defense made life miserable for Dak Prescott last Sunday, intercepting him twice (one of them a pick-six) and sacking him four times. But McCaffrey’s presence alone also gives the 49ers’ offense more balance compared to Dallas, and Shanahan is known for his creative play-calling, which forces defenses to make adjustments all game long.
Shanahan’s counterpart, Matt LaFleur, certainly has Green Bay clicking on all cylinders right now and Love passed his first postseason test with flying colors. But now the young quarterback faces a San Francisco defense that gave up less than 18 points per game during the regular season, tied for the league lead with 22 interceptions, and has just as much star power as the offense.
Linebacker Fred Warner was a unanimous first-team All-Pro honoree, cornerback Charvarius Ward made the second team, and don’t forget about Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Chase Young up front. Love was phenomenal against the Cowboys, but everyone on offense will need to do their part – the line needs to hold up against the 49ers’ pass rush, young pass catchers need to make plays, and Aaron Jones needs to build on four-straight 100-yard rushing performances – if the Packers hope to make it back-to-back playoff road upsets.
All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Buy them here.
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Injury report
Packers
OUT: DT Kingsley Enagbare (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: RB AJ Dillon (thumb/neck), LB Isaiah McDuffie (neck), CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder/ankle), P Daniel Whelan (illness)
49ers
OUT: DL Clelin Ferrell (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles)
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(Photo of Brock Purdy: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)