The San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers take their rivalry to the divisional round in the NFC playoffs on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. San Francisco earned a trip to Green Bay after going to Dallas and taking out the Cowboys 23-17, while the Packers got the week off as the NFC’s number one overall seed after posting 13 wins and winning the NFC North.
Aaron Rodgers is 0-3 against his childhood team in the playoffs, and the Packers hope to snag a victory over San Francisco for the first time in over 20 years. The 49ers, on the other hand, come into this matchup having won eight out of their last ten games, making this matchup one to watch on Saturday Night.
San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview: 49ers Look to Move to 4-0 Against Rodgers in the Playoffs
It wasn’t pretty, but the 49ers walked out of AT&T Stadium with a victory in the wild card round, and the 49ers will have another tall task in facing the best team in the NFC and Aaron Rodgers. In a truly confounding game, the score (23-17), doesn’t reflect how much the 49ers dominated the Cowboys in this one.
San Francisco stuck to what they know best and ran the ball down Dallas’ throat. Sticking to their tried and true formula, the 49ers could run effectively, finishing with 169 yards and two touchdowns on 38 attempts. Jimmy Garroppolo wasn’t terrible but finished with just 172 yards and an ill-advised interception that flipped the script for Dallas. Deebo Samuel continued to be the playmaker in the passing game and on the ground as he finished with 110 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
At times, things got a little out of control on the defensive side, allowing ten points in the fourth quarter and giving the Cowboys a chance at a comeback. Despite this, the 49ers held off the regular season’s number one offense to just 307 total yards and 17 points. Additionally, the 49ers picked up five sacks and got an interception. Keep an eye on the injury issues that have notoriously plagued this team. The 49ers two best defensive players went down with injuries, Nick Bosa suffered a concussion, and Fred Warner exited late with an ankle injury.
Green Bay Packers Betting Preview: Packers Hope to Become First Team since 13′ to Reach NFC Championship Game for Third Straight Year
The Packers are the number one seed in the NFC playoffs and should be well-rested coming into their matchup with the 49ers. In week three, Green Bay took out San Francisco earlier this year on a Mason Crosby game-winning 51 yard field goal.
Aaron Rodgers has been limited in practice all year with COVID-Toe, but that hasn’t stopped him from having an MVP-caliber season. The veteran signal-caller has thrown for over 4,100 yards and has 37 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Devante Adams has been his go-to receiver this year; in addition to securing 15,553 yards and 11 touchdowns, the pair landed themselves on the All-Pro team.
Defensively, the Packers are led by cornerback Rasul Douglas, who owns five interceptions, including two touchdowns. In addition, the defensive line is stout, with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith each totaling 9+ sacks. Overall, the unit finished ninth in total defense, conceding 328.2 and 21.8 points per contest.
Betting Lines & Odds
Early betting odds on MyBookie have the Packers as the -6 home favorite, with the point total set at 47.5.
Free Betting Pick
Despite Aaron Rodgers’ record against the 49ers in the playoffs (0-3), the Packers should pull out a major victory at Lambeau Field. It just feels like Aaron Rodgers is time for another Super Bowl. The quarterback is playing his best ball and plays even better at home, where he owns a career 109 passer rating and 238 touchdowns to just 38 interceptions.
The 49ers have some major injury questions on the defensive side of the ball, and they need all the help they can get in order to compete against Aaron Rodgers in this one. As soon as Bosa and Warner went out of the game, the Cowboys all of a sudden got back in and almost won last week. San Francisco is limited on offense, and the Packers have a stout pass defense.
The Cheese Head will be the first team since the 49ers in 11-13′ to reach the NFC Championship Game for the third straight season.
BetUSASports Free Pick: Packers -6
