The Green Bay Packers will need meaningful contributions from up and down the active roster to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
Here are five under-the-radar role players who may need to step for the Packers to win on Sunday:
1. RG Billy Turner: The interior of the offensive line struggled throughout the first meeting in Santa Clara. Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner dominated, and the 49ers aren’t afraid to move Nick Bosa and Dee Ford inside to create matchups. The Packers need better pass protection across the board in the rematch, but Turner, Elgton Jenkins and Corey Linsley all must be much better on Sunday. Turner had a tough night in the NFC Divisional Round against the Seahawks. The Packers can’t afford him to play another down game Sunday.
2. DL Dean Lowry: The Packers can’t get pushed around in the run game. One of Mike Pettine’s most important players for stopping the run is Lowry, who often has to take on double-team blocks inside. When the Packers have stopped the run this season, Lowry and Kenny Clark have kept offenses from getting linemen to the second level. Can he help keep Blake Martinez clean against the run Sunday? If not, the 49ers could run for a bunch of yards.
3. RB Tyler Ervin: His presence as the jet-motion man in Matt LaFleur’s scheme has become increasingly more important. He played 31 snaps over the final three games. The Packers could really use Ervin’s speed pre-snap to help slow down the pass-rush and window-dress run plays for the 49ers’ ultra-fast linebackers. He could also contribute in the passing game, and he’ll be the primary returner. Special teams often make a significant difference in big games.
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4. WR Allen Lazard: He left last week’s win over the Seahawks with an ankle injury, but Lazard is active against the 49ers Sunday. During the last meeting, Lazard had several opportunities for big plays but Aaron Rodgers couldn’t find him. The Packers need that to change on Sunday, especially if Robert Salah’s defense prioritizes taking away Davante Adams. Lazard is the offense’s best receiver behind Adams and is capable of getting open if consistently single-covered.
5. S Ibraheim Campbell: Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will call on Campbell to play the dime linebacker role. It’ll be a stressful position to play against Kyle Shanahan’s run game and play-action passing game. Can he allow Pettine to play six or seven defensive backs on the field and still control the run? And can he help the defense cover the middle of the field, especially when Shanahan dials up a run fake? The defense wasn’t good in either area in the first meeting. How the Packers perform in one of their favorite defensive subpackages could be huge.
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