We discuss the key strategies for both teams, breaking down both the 49ers and Packers rosters.
With the final injury reports in for both teams, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers are nearing the start of their divisional round matchup on Saturday evening at Levi’s Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 P.M.
The Packers are coming off a 48-32 thrashing off the Dallas Cowboys, while the 49ers are well-rested coming off their bye week and will look to accomplish a goal that has evaded them over the last five years: making and winning a Super Bowl.
The path to doing so starts with the Green Bay Packers, who won six of their last eight regular-season games after a 3-6 start to the season, working behind young, first-year starter Jordan Love, who was one of the more impressive signal-callers in the NFL down the stretch.
Green Bay scored on six of their first seven drives against the Cowboys when the two teams faced off last weekend, which allowed them to get a 48-16 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers will have their hands full defending a young Packers offense in their first meaningful game in three weeks, but will also pose an explosive offense of their own against an inconsistent Green Bay defense.
In our latest podcast episode, we discussed the 49ers’ divisional-round matchup with the Packers, breaking down key strategies for both teams and how that could result in a victory for either side.
The video for the show is embedded above, while the audio is available below.
You can listen to The Rohan Chakravarthi Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
For the Packers, they illustrated the blueprint offensively when playing the Cowboys last weekend: remaining balanced.
While Jordan Love was extremely poised in his first playoff start, where he threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, the Packers were able to keep their foot on the gas by involving the run game, as Aaron Jones rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
The Packers got some good news, as A.J. Dillon practiced in limited fashion for the first time in two weeks on Thursday, as he missed the past two games with thumb and neck injuries. He’s listed as questionable for Saturday.
Defensively, the Packers have a tough decision to make, as they’ve struggled to defend the run all season, allowing 128.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranks as a bottom-five NFL team.
Now, they did have some success against the Cowboys, limiting Tony Pollard to just 56 yards, but Dallas went away from the run and relied too heavily on the pass, which hurt them as the game prolonged.
The 49ers, on the other hand, possess the league’s leading rusher in Christian McCaffrey, which doesn’t bode well for Green Bay’s defense.
Should the Packers sell out against the run, as some teams have against San Francisco, it would open up the passing game even more for Brock Purdy and Co., especially given the 49ers’ plethora of receiving options, which includes McCaffrey.
For the 49ers, they should look to keep a balanced approach while remaining aggressive, which should keep the Packers on their toes and place the pressure on their offense to succeed as well.
The 49ers are seen as 9.5-point favorites entering the game, and we could be in for a high-scoring game, given how both offenses have played this season and as of late.
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