The Green Bay Packers can take a major step towards securing the top seed in the NFC when they travel to San Francisco to play the 9-1 49ers on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.

The NFC West-leading 49ers and NFC North-leading Packers enter the matchup as the top two seeds in the conference. The battle marks only the sixth game since 2007 between two teams with two or fewer losses at this point in the season.

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 12 matchup will go down:

Zach Kruse (7-3): 49ers 28, Packers 20

The Packers are healthy coming out of the bye, but the 49ers look like a bad matchup for Matt LaFleur’s team on both sides of the ball. Kyle Shanahan’s team can run the ball, create yards after the catch and produce explosive plays in the passing game, and they are dominant against the pass, with good coverage players and a stacked pass-rush. The Packers need to win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and get a big night from Aaron Jones to win. It’s possible, but the guess here is that the 49ers fend off an early surge from the Packers and then control the game late.

Jack Wepfer (7-3): 49ers 21, Packers 17

The Packers are fresh and have had the bye week to prepare, but they’re going to struggle with the Niners’ pass rush, and I’m not entirely sure they’re going to have an answer for George Kittle. What the 49ers do well on offense also happens to be what the Packers struggle with on defense. This game feels like a tossup to me, but I’m going with the home field team on this one.

Marty Kauffman (6-4): Packers 23, 49ers 21

This game could be a real-life Spider-Man meme as the Packers and 49ers are very similar teams. Both are unexpected contenders at the top of the NFC this season. Both have playmakers upfront on defenses that aren’t quite defined as elite yet based on their proneness to allowing big plays but they’re winning via turnovers and sacks. And both possess very strong running games that power the offenses. Sunday night is a big test for both teams but after their previous West Coast trip that ended with an embarrassing loss, I think the Packers come extra motivated out of the bye and come away with the win.

Anthony Nash (6-4): 49ers 28, Packers 24

This one has the potential to go down to the wire, but at the end of the day, the Packers still might not be ready to contend against the 49ers’ ferocious defense. Not only do the 49ers have the personnel necessary to do what the Chargers did to the Packers, but they also have an explosive running game led by one of the best offensive minds in the league. Despite that, the Packers have had an extra week to prepare, and the 49ers have looked extremely beatable in their last two games. Still, I’ll be going with the team playing at home this time.

Nolan Stracke (6-4): Packers 24, 49ers 21

This is a game that tips more towards the 49ers in may ways, but for some reason I can’t rationally explain, I’m going with the Packers this week. Green Bay has had plenty of time for rest and preparation for this matchup and it sounds like they’ll be playing with urgency to claim potential home-field advantage in the playoffs. I feel if Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are going to muster an improbable win this season, the time is now.

Joe Kipp (7-3):  Packers 27, 49ers 24

The Packers enter this game nearly fully healthy, which I believe gives them the slight edge in a close game. Some key players have already been ruled out for San Fran (Joe Staley, Dee Ford), with several others questionable; George Kittle being the biggest name. If the Packers want to win they’ll need a complete game from all three phases of offense, defense and special teams. Coach Matt LaFleur talked about the need to see a complete game earlier this week. Sunday night would be a great place to start.

Writer	Prediction	Score	Record
Zach Kruse	Loss	28-20	7-3
Jack Wepfer	Loss	21-17	7-3
Marty Kauffman	Win	23-21	6-4
Anthony Nash	Loss	28-24	6-4
Nolan Stracke	Win	24-21	6-4
Joe Kipp	Win	27-24	7-3

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