The Packers visit the 49ers for record-setting 10th playoff matchup
GREEN BAY (10-8) at SAN FRANCISCO (12-5)
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Fox
OPENING LINE: 49ers by 9 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Packers 9-9; 49ers 9-7-1.
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 38-33-1.
LAST MEETING: 49ers beat Packers 13-10 on Jan. 22, 2022, in divisional round in Green Bay.
LAST WEEK: Packers beat Cowboys 48-32; 49ers had bye, lost 21-20 to Rams on Jan. 7.
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (15), PASS (12), SCORING (12)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (28), PASS (9), SCORING (10)
49ERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (3), PASS (4), SCORING (3)
49ERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (3), PASS (14), SCORING (3)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers even; 49ers plus-10.
PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jordan Love has thrown 21 TD passes with only one INT over his past nine games. Love also has completed 70.7% of his passes for 2,422 yards during that stretch. The only other quarterbacks to complete at least 70% of their passes while throwing for at least 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns with no more than one interception over a nine-game stretch are Matt Ryan (2016-17) and Drew Brees (2018).
49ERS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Christian McCaffrey. After missing the regular-season finale with a calf injury, McCaffrey will be back this week. He led the NFL in rushing (1,459 yards), was tied for the most TDs (21) and had the most first downs (114). McCaffrey was the first player since Emmitt Smith in 1995 to lead the league in rushing after every week of the season.
KEY MATCHUP: Packers offensive tackles vs. Niners DE Nick Bosa. Green Bay silenced Micah Parsons last week, allowing one pressure on 19 pass rush snaps, according to NFL NextGen stats. RT Zach Tom gave up none on nine rushes to Parsons. Bosa was third in the NFL with 95 pressures in the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus.
KEY INJURIES: Packers RB AJ Dillon (thumb/neck) has missed Green Bay’s past two games. ... Packers OLB Kingsley Enagbare got knocked out of the Cowboys game with a knee injury. ... Green Bay CB Jaire Alexander left last week’s game with an ankle issue and didn’t practice Wednesday. ... The 49ers will be without DE Clelin Ferrell (knee), but should get DT Arik Armstead (foot, knee) back this week.
SERIES NOTES: This will be the record-setting 10th playoff meeting between the franchises. ... Green Bay won four of the first five playoff games in the series but lost the past four, including the 2019 NFC title game and 2021 divisional round under these coaching staffs. ... The Packers are 3-2 at Levi’s Stadium.
STATS AND STUFF: The Packers have reached the divisional round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Matt LaFleur despite not having any Pro Bowl selections this season. Keisean Nixon was an All-Pro pick as a kick returner. … The Packers’ victory over the Cowboys enabled them to tie the New England Patriots for most postseason wins (37) in league history. The 49ers rank just behind them with 36 playoff wins. … The Packers have an NFL-leading 13 playoff road wins in franchise history. They were the only road team to win in the wild-card round, as they ended Dallas’ 16-game home win streak. … The Packers struggled to a 2-5 start that included a four-game skid, but they’ve gone 8-3 since. … Packers RB Aaron Jones has rushed for at least 111 yards in four straight games. He rushed for 118 yards and three TDs against the Cowboys. No Green Bay player has ever had five straight games with at least 100 yards rushing. … Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks has four touchdown catches this season, all in his past three games. … WR Jayden Reed didn’t catch a pass against Dallas but had 64 catches for 793 yards and 10 total touchdowns (eight receiving, two rushing) in the regular season to lead the Packers in all three categories. … The Packers didn’t allow a sack against the Cowboys and have given up just two sacks during their four-game winning streak. … Packers OLB Lukas Van Ness has had a sack in back-to-back games. … The Packers had three players with at least 7½ sacks in the regular season: Rashan Gary (9), Preston Smith (8) and Kenny Clark (7½). Smith got another sack in the Cowboys game. … Packers K Anders Carlson had his sixth missed extra-point attempt in the Cowboys game. Carlson also is just 7 of 13 on field-goal attempts from at least 40 yards. ... San Francisco won the NFC West for a second straight season and earned a first-round bye. ... The Niners have made it to the NFC championship game in three of the past four seasons. San Francisco lost the past two years and lost in the Super Bowl in the 2019 season. ... The 49ers are 4-0 in the playoffs at home under coach Kyle Shanahan and haven’t lost a home playoff game since the 2011 NFC title game against the New York Giants. ... The Niners became the sixth team with four players with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage: McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. ... San Francisco led the NFL by averaging 6.6 yards per play in the regular season. ... The Niners scored 76 points on the opening drive this season, the most in the NFL since at least 2000. ... San Francisco QB Brock Purdy led the NFL with 45 completions of at least 25 yards. Purdy set a franchise record with 4,280 yards passing and led the NFL in passer rating (113) and yards per attempt (9.6) this season. ... The Niners scored TDs on a league-best 67.2% of red zone drives.
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