PACKERVILLE, U.S.A.: Packers at 49ers — NFC Divisional Preview

NFC Divisional Game – Packers-49ers Preview is HERE.

The Packers visit the 49ers for record-setting 10th playoff matchup

ASSOCIATED PRESS

GREEN BAY (10-8) at SAN FRANCISCO (12-5)

DAY / TIME / TV: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. EST, FOX

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.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers had plenty of success going up against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs when Aaron Rodgers was running the show. The Niners knocked Rodgers and the Packers out of the playoffs four times, including twice in the previous four seasons.

While first-year starter Jordan Love lacks the pedigree of the four-time MVP, his performance in the last half of the season has caught the attention of the 49ers (12-5) headed into their divisional round game against the Packers (10-8) on Saturday night. “He’s really good at going through his reads and playing the offense to a T,” defensive end Nick Bosa said.

After a shaky start to his first season as a starter, Love has been playing at a high level the past two months. He has thrown 21 touchdown passes with only one interception the past nine games and is coming off one of the best playoff debuts ever. Love went 16 for 21 for 272 yards, three TDs and no interceptions in a 48-32 win over Dallas on Sunday.

“I thought he played a really, really good football game,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s never going to be perfect. There’s going to be little details here and there, whether it’s hanging in the pocket, some decisions, but I’ll tell you what, the guy made some massive plays in that game that kind of go off script, so to speak, and to me that’s where you see so much value in him.”

With Love playing as well as he has and a group of young pass-catchers emerging as big threats, the Packers once again look like a top offensive team after taking a step back in Rodgers’ last season in Green Bay in 2022.

The Niners see a similar look to those high-powered offenses they faced early in LaFleur’s tenure but see more of the coach’s influence on the scheme now that he has a young quarterback he can mold.

“They have a lot of the same guys from the past really good teams they have had and a quarterback who does exactly what he’s coached to do,” Bosa said. “Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer and unbelievable, but he kind of went outside of the realm of coaching and sometimes it’s good when you have a guy who does what he’s coached to do.”

CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN

After losing in the NFC title game the past two seasons, the 49ers came into 2023 looking to get over that hump and back to the Super Bowl. But first they had to get through the regular season, which they did with 12 wins and a first-round bye.

Now the focus can really turn to getting rid of the bad taste from those season-ending losses.

“We’re excited,” All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams said. “This is what you wait all year for, especially after the way last year ended. The regular season is fun and it has its own challenges. But when you get that close, like we did last year, you just want to fast forward to the regular season and get back to this tournament.”

SURGING JONES

Green Bay’s Aaron Jones has rushed for more than 110 yards in each of his past four games. He ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ victory over the Cowboys.

It’s worth noting that Jones has rushed for more than 100 yards every time he’s faced the Cowboys in his career. Jones has never rushed for 100 yards in six previous meetings with San Francisco, though he had nine catches for 129 yards as well as 12 carries for 41 yards in the Packers’ 2021 divisional playoff loss to the 49ers.

RECEIVING DEPTH

Love has thrown 21 touchdown passes with only one interception over his past nine games, and it seems as if a different receiver emerges as his favorite target each week.

The Packers have produced a different 100-yard receiver in each of their past three games. Romeo Doubs had six catches for 151 yards against the Cowboys. Jayden Reed didn’t catch a single pass against Dallas, but he had four receptions for 112 yards when the Packers closed the regular season with a 17-9 victory over the Chicago Bears. One week earlier, Bo Melton caught six passes for 105 yards in a 33-10 triumph at Minnesota.

“You never really know who’s going to have the big game for us in the receiver room,” Love said. “You have plays dialed up for some guys, and other times it’s just kind of the looks we get defensively, who might be catching the ball. But I think the mindset, they all want the ball, they all expect the ball on every play, and that’s what’s helping them be successful.”

JUST FOR KICKS

Both teams come into the game with rookie kickers in a bit of a rut. Third-round pick Jake Moody missed his first extra point of the season and a 38-yard field goal in San Francisco’s Week 18 loss to the Rams. Sixth-round pick Anders Carlson has missed an extra-point attempt in three of the Packers’ past four games. He also missed a 41-yard field goal against Chicago and is just 7 of 13 this season on field-goal attempts of at least 40 yards.

“A lot of young (players) — especially kickers — go through some trials and tribulations, unfortunately,” LaFleur said. “And the one thing that’s been so great that you cannot coach is just the resiliency he’s shown, because every time he misses one, he comes back and he’s made them.”

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.