What to know: Packers quarterback Jordan Love showed stunning accuracy against the Cowboys' edge rush and coverage in his playoff debut Sunday. But the challenge posed by the rested 49ers coming off a bye provides an even bigger test. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is no postseason rookie, and he has some unfinished business after his hot start in the 2022 playoffs was short-circuited by an elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game.
With Niners coach Kyle Shanahan aiming to improve his postseason record to 7-3 in seven seasons, look for San Francisco to rely heavily on Christian McCaffrey and the running game. That's where this matchup could turn, allowing the 49ers to attack a Green Bay weakness. No NFL team had more runs plays of 10 or more yards than San Francisco's 74 in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Packers rank in the bottom third in rushing yards against after first contact (29th with 906) and yards allowed per rush (23rd at 4.4). -- Holder
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Why the 49ers will win: Why won't they win? I can ask that question from now until the Super Bowl, because after the Packers dismantled the Cowboys, that left San Francisco without a major threat remaining in the conference. The 49ers are the best team in football, and they're the best team left in the NFC, by far.
San Francisco boasts the best trait a Super Bowl hopeful can have: the No. 1 offense (including the No. 1 passing offense). And it's by a lot. The Niners' 0.16 expected points added (EPA) per play was well ahead of the No. 2 team, the already-eliminated Dolphins at 0.12. Purdy is supported by an absurd set of playmakers in McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Oh, and we're two paragraphs in, and I haven't mentioned the defense, with Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Chase Young rushing the passer. The 49ers have so many strengths that they don't even need them all to click to win.
: The flip side of all the compliments I bestowed on San Francisco is that they are all bad news for Green Bay. These two teams are not in the same league. But it's football. Things happen. The Packers could win, and it starts with Love -- not just because he's the quarterback but because of the type of quarterback he has evolved into over the course of the campaign. From Week 10 until the end of the regular season, Love finished second in QBR. The only signal-caller ahead of him? Dak Prescott, whom Love just outdueled in the wild-card round.
Defensively, even though the Packers have been disappointing all season, this is still a talented group. Could the Packers put it all together in their biggest game of the season? It remains possible. Turnovers, lucky bounces and an A-game from their defense are probably all necessary for the Packers to pull off this upset. But it could happen
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