The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers meet Sunday night with the NFC Championship title and a trip to Super Bowl LIV in Miami on the line. It was the 49ers who won the last meeting between these two teams back in Week 12 with a stifling defensive performance. The game will mark the eighth time these two storied franchises have played each other in the postseason and the second in an NFC Championship game, which the Packers won 23-10 in 1998.
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Packers vs. 49ers
- When: Sunday, January 19
- Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV: FOX
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
For Green Bay, the road to Miami started last weekend with a 28-23 victory over Seattle at a frigid Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, with Davante Adams on the receiving end of both of those scores. He finished the day with eight catches for 160 yards. Rodgers had his worst game statistically of the year the first time these two teams met in Week 12, passing for 104 yards and one touchdown. Adams was limited to seven catches for 43 yards in the loss as well. It’s been nine years since the Packers have been to the Super Bowl. If Aaron Rodgers wants another ring, the offense will have to click on all cylinders against arguably the best defense in the NFL.
Defensively, the matchup to watch is linebacker Blake Martinez against the 49ers slew of running backs. Martinez has a team-leading 155 tackles on the season. Fellow linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith have 13.5 and 12 sacks, respectively. If it can force quarterback Jimmy Garropolo to beat the defense with his arm, it has a good chance of winning this game.
San Francisco earned a bye going into the playoffs, giving the team plenty of time to game plan for the Minnesota Vikings last weekend. Jimmy Garropolo completed 11 of 19 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while Tevin Coleman rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 27-10 victory. Raheem Mostert added 58 yards on the ground as well. The 49ers were second in rushing during the regular season behind only the Ravens. They will need to get more out of their passing game, especially with tight end George Kittle.
They say defense wins championships and the 49ers are two wins away from proving just that. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins was limited to 172 yards, but even more impressive was how the unit eliminated the run game. Dalvin Cook had just nine carries for 18 yards and the team totaled 21 yards on the ground. Nick Bosa totaled six tackles and two sacks, as the group was in Cousins’ face all game long with five total sacks and one interception. The defense’s ability to disrupt Aaron Rodgers, cause havoc in the passing game and slow down Packers running back Aaron Jones will be pivotal in this game.
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