By Bill Huber Sports Illustrated Green Bay Packers News, Analysis and MoreUpdated January 19, 2024 9:38 PMGREEN BAY, Wis. – In 1995, the Green Bay Packers were 9.5-point underdogs for their NFC Divisional playoff game at the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. They won 27-17.In 2023, the Packers are 9.5-point underdogs for their NFC Divisional playoff game at the Super Bowl-favorite 49ers on Saturday night.Can history repeat itself? Yes. Here are three reasons.1. Jordan Love Is Hotter That HotWith a great quarterback, anything is possible.
It first happened to MVP Brett Favre in a big upset win in San Francisco in 1995. That was it for Aaron Rodgers when the Packers made it to the Super Bowl in 2010 as the sixth seed.Love looks like a great quarterback. His 157.2 passer rating in Dallas is the best all-time by a visiting quarterback in NFL playoff history and fourth overall.The last nine games seem straight out of Madden, a 70.7 percent completion rate with 21 touchdowns and one interception. Love joined Drew Brees (2018) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for at least 2,400 yards with 21-plus touchdowns, zero or one interceptions and a 70 percent completion percentage in nine games.”It was unbelievable for him to take care of the ball the way he has,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. – 21 touchdowns and one pick is incredible. He is very persistent in what they ask of him. [Packers coach] Mattin [LaFleur] is very good at coaching the quarterback and you can see that their quarterback is buying in. He plays very well in their system and plays a lot. He’s got a big arm and he’s a big guy.”Love and LaFleur are in perfect harmony and the receivers make play after play. The 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL, ranking first in yards per carry. , first in yards and fourth in passing. in rating. .”I think we’ve gotten better every week,” Love said. “Execution, I think we’ve gotten better every week. I think we’ve done better shows and I think we have more to come.”It won’t be easy. The 49ers have an elite pass rush, ground-covering linebackers and a ball-hawking secondary. Cornerback Charvarius Ward had five interceptions and led the NFL with 23 tackles. Linebacker Fred Warner had four interceptions and 11 pass breakups on defense.Hot Quarterback Love plays with cliche ice in her veins. The cowboys didn’t bother him for a moment; he probably won’t against the 49ers either.“They used to call it an energy vampire,” rookie receiver Jayden Reed said. “Whatever energy someone else is giving off, that’s what you receive. Him being poised and so calm, that goes throughout the whole offense, every room, and that translates to gameday and on the field. Just seeing him, how calm he is, how poised he is – never gets too high, never gets too low – I think that helps the whole offense out.”2. Opportunities for Aaron JonesWhen the 49ers came to Lambeau Field and shocked the Packers in the divisional round in 2021, they finished the season ranked seventh in yards allowed per carry. This year, they finished 14th.So, it’s not a bad run defense. It’s just not a great run defense. There should be opportunities for Aaron Jones to get rolling.After an injury-plagued season, Jones returned with a vengeance for the stretch run. During the final three weeks of the season, he ranked No. 1 with 358 rushing yards, second with a 5.7-yard average and first with eight runs of 12-plus yards.The train kept rolling with 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns at Dallas. He averaged 5.6 per carry with three more runs of 12-plus yards.Over the four games, according to Pro Football Focus, Jones is No. 1 with 22 missed tackles. His 325 yards after contact on their own would rank fifth in total rushing yards.”Sounds great,” said Jones. “It seems like you’re unstoppable. That’s what I’m trying to achieve. That’s the goal of every game. But at the end of the day, it just feels good to just go out there and just play freely.This week, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was asked how his unit shut down another hot quarterback, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence. His response was telling.”I think the main thing is we have to try to stop that run to make them one-dimensional,” Wilks said. “They run the ball very effectively. I think it just opens up the play. You see him very effectively shooting down the field and finding the open receiver there. So that’s No. 1.”During the four-game hitting streak, Love went 26-of-34 for 406 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the game. His near-perfect 154.8 passer rating is third.Wait. LaFleur continues to ride Jones because it dictates the rest of the offense.. The Packers are 6-1 over the last two years when Jones has averaged 63 yards, according to Inside Edge.. When he misses, they are 3-8..”(Position coach Luke) Butkus preaches about our mentality, especially in that last game,” guard Jon Runyan said. – We knew Dallas didn’t want a very physical game and that’s what we wanted to get into as forwards. I really feel like we had our way with them and we’re going to need that against San Francisco, another road game, another really good defense and one of the best teams in the NFL. As an offensive lineman, we have to impose our will and get that run game going.3. By the numbersDid you know:- The 49ers ranked third in 24 hours in defense (40.9 percent completion), 16th in the red zone (54.6 percent completion) and 14th in scoring chances ..
