I will admit I was negative on Gute in the 1st half of the season. The second half I realized he has done the best to the situation MM created and gave him to work with.

I have also changed my view of MLF the second half of the season. He is an excellent OC and play caller. I still stand behind my belief that it is better to have an HC that does not call play or act as a coordinator. MLF has done the best with the situation.

I am afraid they my rehire Berry especially if all the guys they want to hire will not take the job. Berry is just to inconsistent.

I don't expect us to beat the 49r's either but I am still looking forward to the game and you just never know. From what I have read, their only weakness is that their CB's are a little slow. Hopefully, our passing game can take advantage of that.

Not sure if we have the personnel to matchup to San Fran's weapons but I think that we need to be solid through the middle of the field. Letting Kittle and McCaffery run free underneath will be pitch and catch. I'll take my chances making Purdy repeatedly make the long throws - especially if he is under pressure. We need Rashan Gary to show up for one of these big games. Preston Smith and Kenny Clark have been carrying the mail for this defense down the stretch.

"About the 9ers: Boy, I have a baaaad feeling about this game. 4 all star weapons, a good OT combo, and a QB who distributes the ball well, even if he’s not physically gifted like our QB. And then a nasty defense."

It's a good thing then that Packers are filled with youngsters who don't know better. They don't know that they're supposed to roll over and play dead. 😀

The last few years, the Packers used a strategy that played to the Niners' strengths. This year may be different... nay, this year WILL be different!

My son-in-law is a Cowboy fan.

We're examples of what's wrong with our generation. We just couldn't raise our daughters right.

Interesting take. I often wonder what might have been if we would have traded Rodgers last season. That would have given us more draft picks, more cap space, and Love would have had another year under his belt.

Nick, I thought you put a moratorium on talking about the past till this season is over? LOL.

This season is too enjoyable at the moment to dredge that stuff up at least for another week.

What's great about Love and these receivers is that when he passes the ball to someone open, there's always another guy that's wide open too.

Is that MLF coming up with good plays, Love fooling the Ds, the receivers running their routs correctly, or all of the above?

...Watching Love Sunday made me think about what might have been. What COULD have been. Had Aaron Rodgers just ran Matt LaFleur's scheme and threw to the OPEN man. Then I was a little pissed again...

I am not sure if it wasn't "old dog - new tricks" or Rodgers being the smartest man in the room. Either way, I am glad that I don't have to put up with the eye rolling and public admonishment of fellow teammates. The vibe on this team is more of "in-it-together". This was on display when earlier in the season Wicks or Heath missed a reception and Aaron Jones walked out to the player, lifted his head and offered encouragement. This is leadership.

Nick, I'm kind in awe of what Live is doing with so many receivers. It is kind of like Mahomes who had something good receivers not long ago. In regards to AR, I am a little sad that he had only one receiver that he could count on while it seemed that the others were kind slow, getting older , and had a hard time getting open. I wonder what AR would gave done if he had such good young guns.

Mike - your comment is interesting to me. We used to live in the SF Bay Area, and for many years I could say that I had been to every Packers game in SF or Oakland since 1980 (including pre-season and playoff games). We now also live on the Central Coast (Nipomo).
But we went to that Sunday night game in Santa Clara in 2021 and decided that we are probably not ever going back. Too many fights in the parking lot on the way out of the stadium. "Thug mentality" - that captures it for me, too.

Hi Mike, I just drove up to my home in Santa Rosa from Paso Robles. I love the CC, it always feels like home to me, the people there are surely Californias best.

I share your view of SF bay area fans of all sports. It is a gang war, not an athletic event. What a shitty way to view sports.

Beating Dallas is always a great feeling. I do feel for a team like that. Looked good in the regular season but something just isn't going to work. Where do you start? Guys will be fired and contracts reworked but can you put your finger on the right things to make the team championship quality. One thing that they do need is a stronger D-line and better LB play. This was the same problem that the Packers have worked to overcome. Aaron Jones slashing through this defense made defending Jordan Love next to impossible - particularly in the red zone - deadly.

I flew through Denver and on their sign for departures it said Omaha! Omaha! Ohama!

That was Peyton Manning, after winning a SB with his second team.

Great story Boneman. Would have loved to have come across this street energy. This version of the Packers is definitely capable of generating that same excitement. The same was true of a younger Rodgers.

I watched the Janis hail mary game in a bar in Hong Kong. I had just landed and hightailed I hightailed it to a bar I knew would have the game on. Ironically there have been 3 times I watched Packer playoff games there due to business travel I had planned well before the playoff schedule. Unfortunately all 3 games were losses.

As luck would have it I'm headed to Malaysia this weekend. I will land Sunday morning which will be close to kick off time in the US. Hope I can find a place with the game on. Going to be tough.

Go Pack Go.

Thanks 61. I knew you'd make my (it seems) daily push for the most important group to play this weekend.

People worry about the D and rightly so, but if we can't control the LOS on O, it won't matter what the D is doing.

I know we aren't supposed to win this game and it will be tough, but I felt that way about the Cowboy game too. Any given game day. No matter the result, play a good, clean, competitive game, don't beat yourself, and nobody on either team injured.

GPG!

"The question is can they keep it going against San Francisco?"

You are so right Since'61. I'm sure all Packers players was pumped up to go and show the world they are better than +7.5, bookmaker put them at.

That was amazing show from almost every Packers starter and important back ups on the roster.

I hope they keep focus on the game and their performance, because next game will be much harder.

Also there is one important issue many are overlooking. 49 rest their starters vs Rams and have free week. It is hard to be focused such long time between 2 games. And that is also another thing that goes to Packers favour.

Packers need to avoid chaotic game, both on O and D, because that are the situations 49rs are excellent in those situations

Go Pack Go!

"I think the 49ers game comes down to the Packers OL executing and keeping the 49ers off of Love."

100%.
If the Packers OL plays like they have and gives Love time, I think the Packers have a chance. If they don't give him time its going to be a long day. Packers OL has quietly been very good. Quitely because most people talk about how good Love an the young WR's/TE's and Jones have been. And they have been, but its been the OL that has given them enough time to make the plays.

Agree '61. It starts up front and the same imperative is on the other side of the ball.

If the Packers can execute long, clock chewing, scoring drives...get the lead...to keep their offense AND our defense on the sidelines, is key.

And when our defense is on the field, use the talent/depth in the front 7 to disrupt running lanes and pressure Purdy. Packers must ditch the prevent (the win) defense the Niners fully expect Barry to employ...especially when he is given a lead. Bring 5 or 6 often and even 7 situationally.

"I think the 49ers game comes down to the Packers OL executing and keeping the 49ers off of Love."

In the same way that Vita Vea bettered Myers in the Bucs game, the 49ers are going to throw Armstead at Myers and Runyan early and often.

Like Kenny Clark, Arik Armstead does all the hard work in the middle.

If the Packers lose, my tip is that it will be because they lost the battle of the interior line (more so than the edge).

I'd be ok with the short drives like Sunday against Dallas as long as they all end in scores. The D has to get a stop eventually in that situation right?

...and the Packers are better than any of those three teams you listed!

The Packers lost to some pretty shitty teams along the way. The key here is that teams do some stuff well and some stuff poorly. A good gameplan and enough talent to execute the plan can put a good team out of synch. I think the Giants did that to us and we did that to Dallas. We need to find things that Purdy has been relying on and take that away. Then we have a chance

All 4 teams remaining in the NFC were 7-3 over their last 10 games. The Pack beat the most playoff teams (3) during that span. (Packerswire)

It's not how you start, it is how you finish.

Philadelphia and Green Bay...A Tale of Two Cities.

I also think that getting the ball first was huge for the Packers! Maybe we should choose to get the ball first on every coin toss. If the other team gets the call, they will probably want to defer to the 2nd half, which, of course, plays into the Packers' hands. GO PACK, GO!!!

...They have to keep Jones. One way or another. He is just special and he changes everything. But what they need to do is to add to the position. No more Taylors of the world. I'm curious to see what happens with Bakhtiari. I could see them keeping him. I could see them trading him. It will be interesting to see what happens...

Aaron Jones is the difference maker. When he came back healthy, this team took off. Slashing through a defense for 8 yards just sets the stage for Love. He is worth another extension until they find more RB talent.

Bakhtiari is a tough call. There's the knee, there's the contract and then there's the new young line. Bak has been a great Packer, an all pro, and deserves to be part of this success. If healthy, could Walker move inside and shore up the RG position. Tough call for coaches and Gutekunst.

Baltimore overpowered their OL and got to Purdy fast: too fast for him to get that ball out and the frustration exacerbated that. Outside if Trent Williams, their OL was whipped. On offense, they exploited the lack of speed in the 49ers secondary very effectively—something we have to do too. This is a game for Watson, Reed & Melton to torch that group.

Kittle and McCaffrey still had 100 yard games, but the above and the four turnovers—3 on the first 4 49er possessions—meant that wasn’t fast enough to catch up. The ravens got ahead and never let up.

Might be 49ers saw the Cowboys pay too much attention to Watson and left Doubs and others free? Maybe Watson now was a big game?

They are so fun to watch, especially with these young guys! GO PACK, GO!!!

Totally agree. This team has been fun to watch. Jordan Love is the leader in this regard. His demeanor and quiet confidence is a breath of fresh air.

1000%

House money baby!

Sometimes teams with a bye come out of the gate a little slow and take awhile to get into the game. Lets hope SF is a bit sleepy at the start and the Packers jump all over them. A lead will help Barry more than anything else.

I believe that game plans on D was prepared from Joe Barry under the tutelage of MLF after lost to Bucs. He knows Shannahan and his brother, their tendencies and their schemes. Ravens torched 49ers (week 16), and they also lost vs Browns (week 6), Vikings (week 7), Bengals (week 8), Rams (week 18).

So, they have their weaknesses and we should explore it...

Yes! An unexpected benefit for me was first. My two older boys were at my ex-wifes, who is a total Cowboys cheerleader type fan, to watch the game and when they shared a text. wondering if it was okay to really really cheer I had to tell not to suppress any urge and then secondly, my youngest teenage son who lives with me was out watching it with a mixed group of packer &other teams fan kids. He came home beaming and not just because he had his first true girlfriend

Now they are all reinvigorated and I think their faith has been restored and it's a beautiful thing to watch. They see the difference in leadership and approach this year and of course what happens when it's an unselfish Team effort.

Could this be the game that Brooks plays some edge? That could help the depth.