Sunday is Latest Installment in Packers-49ers Rivalry

Jordan Love will make his second career start against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

 

Since 1992, they have been the two most dominant teams in the NFC. In that time span, they have combined for 26 division titles (Packers - 15, 49ers - 11), 20 NFC Championship game appearances (49ers - 11, Packers - 9), seven NFC titles (SF - 4, GB - 3) and three Super Bowl titles (GB - 2, SF - 1). The only other NFC team close to those numbers since the early 90’s is the Philadelphia Eagles.

In many years, regular season matchups for the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers have been very important in determining NFC playoff seeding. In seven different seasons since 1995, the two teams either finished tied with the same record or were one game apart after the regular season.

In the last 30 years, no two NFL teams have met in the playoffs more than the Packers and 49ers. In fact, the 10 playoff matchups between the two historic franchises (all since 1995) are the most in NFL History. The 49ers lead the series 6-4, winners of the last five meetings.

The two teams have met at least two times in each of the three rounds of the playoffs, with the most matchups being in the divisional round.

Those 10 playoff matchups have always included one of three quarterbacks for the Packers: Favre, Rodgers and Love.

In his 12 starts against the 49ers, Brett Favre was 11-1, including a 4-1 postseason record. Aaron Rodgers followed that by finishing with a 6-7 record against San Francisco, but a paltry 0-4 record in playoff games.

Last January, Jordan Love was unable to break the 49ers recent postseason dominance in this rivalry, as he threw two second-half interceptions en route to a disappointing 24-21 loss in last season’s NFC Divisional Playoff game.

The 49ers, who made their third straight NFC Championship game last year, are 5-5 and are fading in the NFC playoff picture, two games back of the Packers.

For the Packers, Sunday will be a chance at a home win against another potential NFC playoff team. In three home games against NFC teams, the Packers are just 1-2, with the win being against the Arizona Cardinals and losses against the division rival Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

In that rainy game last January, Love 21 for 34 with 194 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He played well for the first three quarters, but two of the Packers final three drives ended with his interceptions.

Coming off his fifth career game-winning drive in Sunday’s win against the Chicago Bears, Love will look for his first win in this matchup. A win on Sunday could be a bit of redemption for last year’s playoff defeat, as well as give the Packers a critical win over a team they could be vying with for a playoff spot.

 

 

Having fourth quarter performances more reminiscent of the Texans or Bears games, rather than last season’s 49ers game, will likely be a big determining factor in Sunday’s game.

 

 

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Mitch McLaughlin is a Packers fan and shareholder residing in Sacramento, California. He will be writing Packers stories each week on Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter: @McLaughlinMitch

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Comments (16)

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GregC's picture

November 19, 2024 at 07:34 pm

The video clip of that run by Jordan Love highlights something that was completely overlooked in the win over the Bears, which was Love's gritty performance. He showed a lot of toughness, but hardly any Packer fans even acknowledged it. He ran the ball into the end zone after that play featured in the video clip. He also took a big hit as he released the ball on Christian Watson's 60-yard reception. Earlier, he took a big hit as he tried to get into the end zone on a fourth down play, which unfortunately was not successful.

Anyway, those are impressive numbers about the Packers and 49ers and all of their playoff appearances. The 49ers loss last week puts them in a desperate situation. This should be a real battle.

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Major Snafu's picture

November 19, 2024 at 11:00 pm

My take, he was so afraid to through again into traffic after that big interception, he never even looked for someone open but ran for it and got lucky.
You can bet the receivers working to get open and practicing those routes weren't too happy about lack of involvement.
I firmly believe pack fans will turn on Love like a pack of rabbid dogs by the end of next season. He is an interception machine

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barutanseijin's picture

November 20, 2024 at 05:11 am

You purple people said similar things about Favre then had to eat your words when the purple signed him. (Besides , when he was with the Packers, Favre did something no purple-clad qb has ever managed, not Tarkenton, not Moon, not even Christian Ponder, Gus Frerotte, Tarvaris Jackson or anyone else in your purple pantheon: win a championship.)

And how long before JJ goes Mossy and decides he wants to work with Mahomes, Allen or Daniels rather than Sam Darnold?

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LLCHESTY's picture

November 20, 2024 at 11:44 am

How can you forget Two Minute Tommy "can you blow in this please" Kramer?

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GregC's picture

November 20, 2024 at 06:37 am

That's a bizarre take. Love threw four incomplete passes all day, including one throwaway and one that was dropped. Your analysis is a failure on the most basic level.

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LLCHESTY's picture

November 20, 2024 at 11:43 am

Just like his favorite team in Purple.

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HarryHodag's picture

November 21, 2024 at 06:46 am

...and the positive things Love did are ignored.

1)Brett Favre was an interception machine. The last pass he threw in an NFL game was an interception. Packers fans still love him. He won more than he lost, just like Love.
2) Have you ever thought what the alternative to Love is...since you want so firmly to get rid of him? Willis? For a short time he would look lilke Superman until the defensive coordinators figured him out. Then, apparently, on to the next. Great NFL QB's don't grow on trees. Look at the record of teams hoping to find a great QB--the Bears and Lions come to mind. Ain't easy like you apparently think.
3)Love is no idiot. He, in fact, is much closer to doing what his coach wants then the QB before him, His Darkness. He also is being coached by the same QB coach as His Darkness, Tom Clements.
4)If you throw two interceptions but score four other touchdowns you are likely to win the game. Interceptions are not the final call. You don't want them but you can recover.

Hatred of Love is misplaced.

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splitpea1's picture

November 19, 2024 at 08:12 pm

San Francisco is a better team than their record indicates. Most of their offensive stats still rank quite high, and as always we can expect a physical match-up.

But they have lost a couple of those games in the fourth quarter, including a tough one at home to Seattle last week. Geno Smith concluded a long game-winning drive with a 13-yard TD run to the left pylon in the waning seconds. So if our game winds down in similar fashion, this would be an excellent drive for Love to emulate, providing our receivers can also come through in the clutch.

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Coldworld's picture

November 19, 2024 at 11:15 pm

They are pretty banged up though. How much that affects them on Sunday it’s too early to tell, but they did not look themselves last week.

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PhantomII's picture

November 19, 2024 at 09:50 pm

We will learn a lot about how this team fits in the playoffs in this game after we squandered a winnable game last post season. Better bring the "A" game. Marching orders are JL....No turnovers and WR's run crisp routes and CATCH everything. Hopefully Kraft and RB's move the chains as well. I really hope we finally start stacking good play. ML calls a good game that flows. Defense shows up and steps up.....GPG

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Major Snafu's picture

November 19, 2024 at 11:07 pm

I could see the pack going on a losing streak. Passing game is off kilter and pass defense is still ho hum at best.

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Wisma Packer's picture

November 20, 2024 at 10:54 pm

I can understand your stand. Your purple team has never amounted to anything, so you have to go somewhere to get your kicks.

Like I said, no problem, we understand and chuckle at your purple misery 😁😁😁

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NFLfan's picture

November 19, 2024 at 11:50 pm

GPG

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propertylilac's picture

November 20, 2024 at 01:14 am

you can access in your browser without having to download anything or establish a merchant account https://snow-rider3d.io

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LLCHESTY's picture

November 20, 2024 at 11:45 am

How the hell can they link shit and we can't??

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Wisma Packer's picture

November 20, 2024 at 10:56 pm

They're not going through the front door. They're hacking (bypassing controls) into the website and dumping their spam.

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