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The 49ers hold a one-game lead over the Green Bay Packers heading into their Week 12 showdown on Sunday Night Football. Despite San Francisco’s struggles of late, they’re still favored by three points against the No. 2 seed Packers according to sports betting site BetMGM.
That three-point advantage is a product of the game taking place at Levi’s Stadium. The same contest at Green Bay likely has the Packers giving three points instead. Levi’s Stadium hasn’t provided much of a home-field advantage since its doors opened in 2014, but the crowd was electric in the Week 10 overtime loss to Seattle, and throughout the team’s comeback win over the Cardinals in Week 11. There could be a distinct home-field advantage brewing in Santa Clara.
The 49ers and Packers are pretty evenly matched all things considered. The main difference in their respective resumés is that San Francisco managed to avoid a bad loss, while the Packers were steamrolled 26-11 by the Chargers in Week 10. Their other loss came at home against Philadelphia in Week 4.
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Perhaps the biggest advantage for either team is San Francisco’s rushing attack against a relatively porous Green Bay run defense. They’re allowing the 25th-most yards, and 26th-most rushing touchdowns in the NFL through 11 weeks. That bad run defense may be exactly what a struggling 49ers rushing attack needs to get back on track.
On the other hand, Aaron Rodgers is a great equalizer in essentially every game Green Bay plays. He’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever strap an NFL helmet on, and his ability to get the ball out quickly and manipulate the pocket with his feet could help mitigate some of San Francisco’s pass rush.
Barring something dramatic happening, it’s tough to see this line moving a lot in either direction. These are two very evenly matched teams that should play a close game Sunday night.