The Postseason History of the Green Bay Packers vs. the San Francisco 49ers

When the Green Bay Packers face the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC Divisional Round playoff game on Saturday night at Lambeau Field, it will be the ninth time the two teams have met in the postseason, which is the most in the history of the Packers.

Going into this game, the Packers had played eight games in the postseason versus the Niners, New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. In those eight games, the Packers held a 5-3 margin against the G-Men, while were 4-4 against the Cowboys and 49ers.

The Packers first played the Giants in the postseason in 1938, while it was after the 1966 season when the Packers first faced the Cowboys.

The postseason history between the Packers and 49ers is relatively new compared to those two matchups. The first time Green Bay and San Francisco met was after the 1995 season. That means that all nine of these postseason matchups occurred in a span of 26 years.

Before we look at the past, let’s look ahead to the game on Saturday night. It will definitely be frozen tundra weather, as the temperature is supposed to fall to 4 degrees into the evening. There is also a 50% chance of snow earlier the day.

Aaron Rodgers, who looks to be the NFL MVP in 2021, has the Green Bay offense clicking. Wide receiver Davante Adams once again has been brilliant and the one-two combination of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon at halfback has been very productive.

It also looks like another weapon will return, as wide receiver Randall Cobb is expecting to play after being out several weeks with a core muscle injury.

The offensive line, which has been besieged by injuries all season long, has stood up well through that adversity, plus now have left tackle David Bakhtiari and rookie center Josh Myers back.

But the bottom line, once again, for the Packers to win on Saturday night and to continue winning this postseason, the defense has to play much better than it has as of late.

Midway through the season, when the Packers were playing playoff teams like the Arizona Cardinals, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams, the defense was playing very well. But down the stretch of the season, things started to go south.

The best player of the Green Bay defense this year has to be inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who has had a great year, both in stopping the run and in pass coverage. That’s why he was named First-Team All-Pro, just like Rodgers and Adams were.

Defensive tackle Kenny Clark has also played very well, as have outside linebackers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. But the defense has to tighten up, which is why it is great news that a number of talented players could be back this week.

That would be cornerback Jaire Alexander and outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Whitney Mercilus. If those three could play on Saturday, that would be a big plus. Adding Alexander to a secondary that has already seen outstanding play by cornerbacks Eric Stokes (who is a rookie) and Rasul Douglas, would be huge.

But stopping the run is the big focus. That is where adding the depth of (Za’Darius) Smith and Mercilus on the outside would be very beneficial. The 49ers have one of the best, if not the best outside zone running schemes in the NFL. To beat the Niners, you have to stop or at least minimize the run game. The top running back for the Niners is Elijah Mitchell.

Force quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to beat you. Most of the focus should be on two players, wide receiver Deebo Samuel (who is also a threat running the ball) and tight end George Kittle.

Okay, let’s now take a look at the past postseason games between these two teams.

1995 NFC Divisional Round Game at 3Com Park: Packers 27, 49ers 17

The tone of this game occurred on the first offensive play of the game for the 49ers, when linebacker Wayne Simmons hammered fullback Adam Walker which forced a fumble. Cornerback Craig Newsome picked up the loose ball and ran it back 31 yards for a touchdown, as the Packers led the defending Super Bowl champs 7-0.

Quarterback Brett Favre used that momentum, as he was brilliant in the game, as he completed 21-of-28 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Favre had a passer rating of 132.9 in the game. The recipients of Favre’s touchdown tosses were tight end Keith Jackson on a 3-yard throw and tight end Mark Chmura on a 13-yard pass.

Jackson (101) and wide receiver Robert Brooks (103) each had over 100 yards receiving in the game.

Defensively, Simmons led the way with 10 tackles, which included a sack. Newsome added an interception to go with his fumble recovery for a score. In all, the Packers sacked quarterback Steve Young three times and picked him off twice. Young attempted 65 passes in the game, completing 32 of his throws for 328 yards. No. 8’s passer rating for the game was just 51.3. Young did have a rushing touchdown in the game, while wide receiver Jerry Rice had 11 catches for 117 yards.

Bottom line, the Packers had no turnovers, while the Niners had four. It was a great way for head coach Mike Holmgren of the Packers to return to his hometown and come away with a 27-17 shocking victory against his old team in front of 69,311 fans.

1996 NFC Divisional Round Game at Lambeau Field: Packers 35, 49ers 14

Quarterback Brett Favre had another nice game against the Niners in this game at cold and muddy Lambeau Field in front of 60,787 fans, as No. 4 had a passer rating of 107.4, as he completed 11-of-15 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Rison.

But in this game, it was the ground game and phenomenal special teams play which really made the difference in the game. Halfback Edgar Bennett rushed for 80 yards and two scores for the Packers, while fellow halfback Dorsey Levens chipped in another 46 yards.

But the real hero of the game was returner Desmond Howard, who returned two punts for 117 yards, which included a 71-yard return which gave the Packers a 7-0 lead early in the game.

Quarterback Steve Young lasted just two possessions for the Niners, before he had to leave the game with broken ribs. Backup quarterback Elvis Grbac threw for 125 yards and a touchdown, but also threw three picks, two by safety Eugene Robinson and one by cornerback Craig Newsome. LB Wayne Simmons led the Packers with eight tackles.

Just like the year before in the postseason, the Packers won big in the turnover game, as the Niners had five giveaways, while Green Bay had just one, as the Packers won going away 35-14.

The Packers would go on and win Super Bowl XXXI that postseason.

1997 NFC Championship Game at 3Com Park: Packers 23, 49ers 10

In front of a crowd of 68,987, the Packers won their straight playoff game against the 49ers in as many years to advance to Super Bowl XXXII. This game matched head coach Mike Holmgren of the Packers going up one of his former assistant coaches on the Packers, Steve Mariucci, who was now the head coach of the Niners.

Quarterback Brett Favre continued his solid play against the 49ers, as he threw for 222 yards and a score and had a 98.1 passer rating in the game. But the ground game became a big weapon in the game for the Packers just like the previous postseason game vs. San Francisco, as halfback Dorsey Levens rushed for 114 yards and a score, as the Packers won 23-10.

Wide receiver Antonio Freeman of the Packers had a big game, as No. 86 had four receptions for 107 yards and a score.

Quarterback Steve Young of the Niners threw for 250 yards, but did not have a touchdown pass, but did toss a pick, which safety Eugene Robinson nabbed and returned 58 yards. Young was also sacked four times, twice by Keith McKenzie and once each by Reggie White and Bernardo Harris.

Wide receiver Terrell Owns had six receptions for 100 yards for the 49ers.

In the end though, it would be Holmgren and his Packers going on to their second straight Super Bowl.

1998 NFC Wild Card Game at 3Com Park: 49ers 30, Packers 27

In front of a crowd of 66,506, the Packers and 49ers took this Wild Card contest down to the final seconds of the game. Both teams were playing for the fourth consecutive time in the 1998 postseason, which turned out to be the last game Mike Holmgren would ever coach for the Packers. Coaching the 49ers was Holmgren’s former quarterbacks coach with the Packers, Steve Mariucci.

Unlike the three previous postseason games against the 49ers, quarterback Brett Favre did not have his “A” game, as he threw two interceptions to go with his two touchdown passes. No. 4 threw for 292 yards and had a 79.7 passer rating.

Plus, halfback Dorsey Levens ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, plus caught six passes for 37 more yards.

That should have been enough to win, as Favre threw a late touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Freeman to give the Packers a 27-23 lead with just 1:56 left on the clock. That was Freeman’s second touchdown reception of the game.

In the ensuing drive, Jerry Rice fumbled the ball after a catch that by today’s replay rules, would have been ruled a fumble, but back then the officials ruled that Rice was down before he fumbled.

That led to a 25-yard touchdown pass from Young to Terrell Owens with just seconds remaining in the game. Owens caught the ball in a crowd after have many other drops during the course of the game, as the 49ers won 30-27.

That game was also the last game Reggie White, the “Minister of Defense”, would ever play for the Packers.

2001 NFC Wild Card Game at Lambeau Field: Packers 25, 49ers 15

In this game in Green Bay, in front of 59,825 fans, quarterback Brett Favre had another nice day against the Niners, as he threw for 269 yards and had two touchdown passes versus one pick. No. 4’s passer rating for the game was 112.6, as the Packers won 25-15.

Wide receiver Antonio Freeman and tight end Bubba Franks caught the touchdown passes from Favre. Freeman caught six passes for 84 yards and his score. Halfback Ahman Green also rushed for 86 yards and a score.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia of the 49ers threw for 233 yards, which included a touchdown pass to Tai Streets. But Garcia also threw a pick a pick to cornerback Tyrone Williams and was sacked twice, including one by defensive tackle Gilbert Brown.

Halfback Garrison Hearst of the Niners rushed for 42 yards and also scored a touchdown.

2012 NFC Divisional Round Game at Candlestick Park: 49ers 45, Packers 31

The game got off to a fairly nice start for the visiting Packers, as cornerback Sam Shields returned an interception thrown by quarterback Colin Kaepernick for 52 yards and a score to put Green Bay up 7-0. After that start, it soon became obvious that the Packers were going to have issues keeping with a San Francisco offense that was gashing the defense of the Packers, especially on the ground.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers had no answers for containing Kaepernick that night, as No. 7 rushed for 181 yards and two scores on the night. Overall, the run defense allowed a whopping 323 rushing yards and four scores.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 26-of-39 passes for 257 yards and two touchdown passes, one each to James Jones and Greg Jennings. No. 12 also threw a pick which set up a 48-yard scoring drive for the Niners.

On normal nights, 31 points in a playoff game most likely gets a team a win. But not on this night, as the Packers allowed a colossal 579 yards in total offense to the 49ers, in which most of the 69,732 in attendance thoroughly enjoyed.

2013 NFC Wild Card Game at Lambeau Field: 49ers 23, Packers 20

In this playoff game, in front of 77,525 fans at Lambeau Field, the Packers were focused on limiting the damage done by quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers, who had demolished the Green Bay defense the year before in the postseason.

The Packers were somewhat successful in that quest, but Kaepernick still rushed for 98 yards and the game, plus threw for 227 more yards. But compared to what he had done the year before in the playoff versus the Packers (444 total yards), at least the Dom Capers defense “held” No. 7 to 325 total yards this time.

The Packers did pick off a pass from Kaepernick (the only turnover of the game for either side) which stopped a 49er drive and led to a Green Bay touchdown. The Packers also sacked Kaepernick three times.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had missed several games during the 2013 season due to a broken collarbone and had just returned the week before in a stirring comeback win against da Bears to win the NFC North, had a solid game. No. 12 threw for 177 yards and a touchdown (to Jordy Nelson) and did not throw a pick.

Rodgers was also sacked four times. Late in the 4th quarter, the Packers were trailing 20-17 when they drove deep into San Francisco territory. However, the Packers had to settle for a Mason Crosby 24-yard field goal.

The on the ensuing drive, Kaepernick, after almost throwing another pick to safety Micah Hyde, drove the Niners down to the Green Bay 15, where Phil Dawson of the 49ers hit the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock.

2019 NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium: 49ers, 37, Packers 20

Like some earlier postseason games between the Packers and 49ers, the head coaches of each team knew each other well. Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Packers had worked with head coach Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers previously in Washington and Atlanta. They both ran the same type of offense, which is the outside zone running scheme.

On this game, in front of 72,211, the Niners put on a clinic as to how to correctly run the outside zone scheme. The Niners rushed for a whopping 285 yards and had four rushing touchdowns. Most of the damage was done by halfback Raheem Mostert, who ran for 220 yards and had all of the rushing scores by San Francisco.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo only attempted eight passes in the game, completing six of them.

The quarterback for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers, had to put the ball in the air quite a bit more often, as the Packers were down 27-0 at halftime. No. 12 completed 31-of-39 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns (one each to Aaron Jones and Jace Sternberger). Rodgers also threw two interceptions, one which led to the final touchdown of the 1st half by the 49ers

Rodgers was sacked three times but was ablet to get the ball often to his favorite receiver, Davante Adams, who had nine receptions for 138 yards.

Bottom line, the 27-point deficit was just too much to overcome for the Packers, who once again were gashed on the ground by the 49ers, which seems to be a theme lately in this postseason series.

Green Bay Packers: Preview of the NFC Championship Game vs. the San Francisco 49ers

When the 14-3 Green Bay Packers take on the 14-3 San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 NFC Championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara this Sunday, it will occur 22 years and eight days after the two teams also met in the 1997 NFC title game at 3Com Park, which was more commonly known as Candlestick Park.

In that game, both teams were also 14-3 going into the title game. The Packers were defending Super Bowl champions, plus had beaten the Niners in the postseason for two straight years heading into this game.

The Packers made it three years in a row, as quarterback Brett Favre, running back Dorsey Levens, wide receiver Antonio Freeman and the defense of Green Bay all came up big that day.

Favre threw for 222 yards and a touchdown and did not throw a pick. No. 4’s passer rating for the game was 98.1. Favre’s touchdown toss went to Freeman on a 27-yard pass play in the second quarter. For the day, Freeman had four catches for 107 yards and a score.

Because of the conditions in the game, with a rainy and muddy environment, the Packers relied on their strong running game behind Levens, who rushed for 114 yards on 27 carries. No. 25 scored a touchdown, plus caught four passes for 27 more yards.

The defense of the Packers was very good that day, as they held the 49ers to 33 rushing yards, while they also held down quarterback Steve Young, as they sacked him four times (including one by Reggie White). No. 8 did throw for 250 yards, but did not throw a touchdown pass, although he did throw a key interception to safety Eugene Robinson.

The bottom line is the defense did not allow a touchdown and the only one that the Niners scored was on a kickoff return late in the game.

Final score, Packers 23, 49ers 10.

It was a very interesting scenario that day, as head coach Mike Holmgren of the Packers was taking on one of his former assistant coaches in the game, as Steve Mariucci was now the head coach of the 49ers.

A similar connection will take place this Sunday when head coach Matt LaFleur of the Packers takes on head coach Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers. The two have had quite a history together.

LaFleur has worked under Shanahan in three different locations when the son of Mike Shanahan was an offensive coordinator. This occurred with the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Falcons.

When LaFleur was working under Shanahan in Atlanta as quarterback coach, his brother Mike was also on the staff. Today, Mike is the pass game coordinator for the 49ers.

LaFleur also has a history with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh of the Niners, as both were on the same coaching staffs at Central Michigan and with the Texans. Now they call themselves best friends.

I’m sure they weren’t talking to each other this week.

Especially after the 49ers whipped the Packers 37-8 at Levi’s Stadium in late November.

The good news is the Packers haven’t lost since. But it will be more than a mild upset if the Packers can turn the table on the 49ers this upcoming Sunday.

Never say never, especially when one looks back on the history between these two teams.

For the Packers to win this Sunday, one thing is for sure. They have to play well in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

The Packers should have their full offensive line available versus the Niners this Sunday. When they played in November, right tackle Bryan Bulaga left the game early with a knee injury, and his replacement Alex Light did not have a good night.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Packers was sacked five times and pressured on several other occasions while attempting to pass. The result? Rodgers had one of the roughest games of his career, as he only threw for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Fortunately for the Packers now, if Bulaga goes out again, they have a capable backup in Jared Veldheer, who played the entire game against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round game last Sunday as Bulaga had the flu. Veldheer did a very nice job as well.

The Green Bay offensive line (LT David Bakhtiari, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Corey Linsley, RG Billy Turner and RT Bulaga) has to be ready to play their best game of the season against that very tough San Francisco front, which includes Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford.

Ford didn’t play against the Packers in November either.

Behind that line is linebacker Fred Warner, who is having a great season this year. The secondary is also solid and it includes the ageless Richard Sherman, who is in his ninth season in the NFL.

This 49er defense was ranked second in the NFL in total defense and first in passing defense.

Pro Football Focus has the Green Bay offensive line ranked No. 6 in the NFL.  Here is what PFF says about the Packers offensive line.

The perception of the Packers’ offensive line doesn’t always meet reality. Aaron Rodgers consistently holds onto the football with one of the longest average time to throws in the NFL. As PFF Data Scientist Timo Riske explored with offensive line survival rates, that significantly increases the chance for quarterback pressure and sacks. Their 22nd-ranked pressure rate allowed isn’t all that impressive, but their average time to allow a  pressure of 2.62 seconds (best in the NFL) is much more so.

So what does that mean? Rodgers has to get the ball out quickly, but will still have time to look at his options briefly.

This where LaFleur has to game plan accordingly. Like he did against the Seahawks, he has to utilize running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Davante Adams early and often in this game.

The 49ers can be run on. But you have to stick to it. San Francisco gave up an average of just over 112 yards per game on the ground.

That being said, the Niners held talented running back Dalvin Cook to just 18 yards when they beat the Minnesota Vikings in their divisional round game last Saturday.

Like Cook, Jones can hurt a team on the ground and through the air.

I’ll bet LaFleur called head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angles Rams this week Why? First off, LaFleur was the offensive coordinator under McVay with the Rams in 2017. The Packers and Rams run basically the same offense. Plus, McVay dialed up a great game plan against the Niners in their most recent matchup less than a month ago.

The Rams lost 34-31 in Santa Clara, but LA put up 395 total yards and quarterback Jared Goff threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Goff also was never sacked. Running back Todd Gurley chipped in 48 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns.

That’s the type of production the Green Bay offense has to exhibit this Sunday to win. Hopefully LaFleur has studied the tape from that game and also gotten some pointers from McVay about how to attack the 49ers.

Now the Packers did rush for 117 yards in the game in November, so that’s a good sign. But Jones has to get a lot more than the 13 touches he had in that game. Those were all carries, which gained 38 yards. Jones needs 20-plus touches in this game, both on the ground and in the air.

Jamaal Williams also added 45 yards on the ground in that game on 11 carries, plus caught seven passes for 35 yards.

Adams caught seven passes for 43 yards and a score in that game, but he has to come up bigger than that in this game.

Plus, Adams needs some help from somebody else in the receiving corp. Tight end Jimmy Graham had a nice game against the Seahawks and the Packers need to utilize him again.

But at least one of the other receivers have to make some plays as well. It doesn’t matter who, but someone from the group that includes Geronimo Allison, Allen Lazard, Marques Valdes-Scantling and Jake Kumerow has to.

The defense of the Packers has to play much better this time around to even think about springing an upset.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo picked the Packers apart, as he threw for 253 yards and two scores. That adds up to a robust 145.8 passer rating. The Packers did sack Garoppolo three times, including 1.5 by Za’Darius Smith and a half a sack by Preston Smith.

The “Smith Brothers” need to have a bigger presence in this game.

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine put a new wrinkle in the defense for the Packers after that bad loss in Santa Clara and now puts out what is called the “Z Package” scheme.

Smith moves all over the place in that scheme (inside or outside) and has had great success, not only in sacking the quarterback, but also in stopping the run. The formation basically has a four-man front and a roving linebacker.

The scheme also allows the secondary to be in a dime look, or six defensive backs.

I expect the Packers to utilize that look often in passing situations.

They have to do something, especially due to the way tight end George Kittle exploited the secondary in November. Kittle had six catches for 129 yards and a touchdown, which included a 61-yard post pattern score.

The problem with the Packers covering Kittle, is that covering tight ends has been a persistent issue for the Green Bay defense this year. Good or great tight ends have had substantial success against them.

Somehow, Pettine has to figure out a coverage scheme to at least limit the production of Kittle, who also is a great blocking tight end for the running game.

The secondary of the Packers will also need to beware of wide receivers like Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel. Green Bay held Sanders to just one catch for 15 yards, but Samuel had two receptions for 50 yards and a score.

Still, with all the threats at receiver, the calling card for the San Francisco offense is their running game. The Niners averaged 144 yards a game in the regular season.

The Packers did hold the 49ers to 112 yards rushing, but San Francisco averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

Green Bay has gotten much better in their run defense the past several weeks, but the three-man monster that the Niners use against their opponents can be lethal. Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida all have different styles and each rushed for at least 500 yards this season, with Mostert leading the team with 772 yards.

After the 49ers throttled the Green Bay defense in that game, the defense had a players-only meeting and discussed what the issues were. The big point that was brought up was a lack of communication in that game.

It seems that issue has been resolved a bit, as the Packers have only allowed 15.7 points per game in six games since.

Plus, there is the special teams importance in this game.

Kicker Mason Crosby of the Packers has had a fabulous year, as he made 22-of-24 field goals, which adds up to a field goal percentage of 91.7.

Kicker Robbie Gould of the 49ers on the other hand, has not been nearly as efficient, as he has made 23-of-31 field goals, which adds up to a field goal percentage of 74.2.

Punter JK Scott of the Packers has averaged 44 yards per punt, while Mitch Wishnowsky of the 49ers has averaged 44.9 per punt. The punting game looks very solid for both teams.

In the return game, the Niners will be facing someone that they didn’t see in the game in November. That someone is Tyler Ervin. The Packers brought Ervin on late in the season to invigorate their return game which had done basically nothing all year.

Ervin changed all that in the four games he played in the regular season, as he averaged 9.6 yards per punt return and 26.7 yards per kickoff return. Ervin has also seen some time on the offense, as the Packers have tried to utilize his great speed on jet sweeps.

Richie James is the main returner for the 49ers and has averaged 8 yards per punt return and 21.4 yards per kickoff return.

So, how do I see this game? Well, I believe that the Packers have a fighting chance to win this contest.

Yes, I was also on record as saying that the Packers would play much better than they did in the November game between these two teams, but some of the factors which I have mentioned earlier in this story lead me to believe the Packers will play much better this time around.

Bottom line, it is going to take a great effort by the Packers to win this game. Winning inside the trenches is the key. Even if you don’t win, at least make it a stalemate in that battering zone.

I also expect Rodgers to continue the great play he showed last week versus the Seahawks. In fact Rodgers now has a passer rating in the postseason of 100, which is fourth all time.

No. 12 passed Drew Brees on that list after his performance against the Seahawks.

If that happens and Green Bay plays smart and physical football, plus create a turnover or two, I like the chances of the Packers in this game.