The Green Bay Packers are in the playoffs, and they’re not just here to participate.
Less than a year after making seismic changes to their organization, and less than three months after falling to 2-5, the Packers are now 10-8 and in the postseason for the first time since 2021.
That was all well and good, but the season was going to be a relative footnote if the Packers laid an egg in Dallas.
They didn’t. Jordan Love was flawless, throwing three touchdowns to three different receivers en route to what was a perfect passer rating before his final pass of the game.
Aaron Jones was dominant again, rolling for more than 100 yards on the ground.
Darnell Savage and Jaire Alexander had big plays on defense, and the Packers built a lead that got as high as 48-16.
Winning in Dallas has become the norm for this franchise. The Packers are 6-0 at AT&T Stadium, including Super Bowl XLV. They’re 2-0 against the Cowboys in postseason play as well.
The San Francisco 49ers? That’s a different story.
After dominating the 49ers for much of the 1990s, the clear turning point in this rivalry is Terrell Owens’ catch in the 1999 Wild Card game where Jerry Rice appeared to get away with a fumble the Packers recovered.
Since that time, the Packers are 1-4 against the 49ers in the playoffs. They’ve been beaten by at least two scores every time they’ve had to play in San Francisco.
If the Packers are going to reverse that trend, here are their keys to victory.
Packers’ offensive line vs. 49ers pass rush
When you rank the 49ers roster, there aren’t many, if any names, that come up before star pass rusher Nick Bosa.
Bosa is one of the league’s best at getting opposing quarterbacks to the ground.
Bosa is not the only player on that front. The 49ers have added one pass rusher after another since John Lynch took over as the team’s general manager.
The best pass rush in football a season ago belonged to the Philadelphia Eagles. The 49ers went and took their best interior pass rusher with Javon Hargrave signing in San Francisco in free agency.
They traded for Chase Young. They added Randy Gregory off the scrap heap.
Their pass rush is lethal as a result.
The Packers’ offensive line is coming off one of its best games of the season. Dallas’ vaunted pass rush led by Micah Parsons was shut out by the Packers’ offensive line.
Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker were rock solid against their tandem of Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence.
The Packers will need another big game from their offensive line against another big time pass rush group coming in.
If they can keep Love clean, there are holes to exploit in San Francisco’s secondary.
That is, however, a massive if, and might be the biggest point that decides this weekend’s game.
Aaron Jones vs. 49ers’ defense
Jones is still Green Bay’ s best player. That much has been clear over the last four weeks.
Jones became the team’s first individual 100-yard rusher in a win over the Carolina Panthers on Christmas Eve.
He’s topped the century mark in each of the last four games, including 118 in his home state of Texas against the Cowboys.
Jones added three touchdowns on Sunday and was able to help the Packers control the game against Dallas.
This week is a bit of a different challenge. The 49ers’ front is tough and physical. Jones and the offense could struggle to find room to maneuver.
Jones may not get to 100 yards, but there are plays that need to be made to keep the Packers ahead of the sticks. The 49ers pass rush is vicious, led by Bosa and Young.
Getting into predictable passing situations will allow those pass rushers to tee off on Love.
Jones needs to continue the trend he’s followed over the last four weeks and keep the ground game rolling against his toughest opponent to date.
Jordan Love vs. 49ers’ defense
The biggest story coming out of Green Bay’s 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys is Green Bay’s quarterback.
Love has thrown 21 touchdowns to just one interception since the calendar turned to December.
He continued his assault on opposing defenses on Sunday against Dan Quinn’s Dallas Cowboys.
Love had a perfect passer rating before his final pass of the game slipped through Tucker Kraft’s fingertips.
Prior to that, Love’s game was much like his passer rating, perfect.
He threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers, using three different arm angles.
He looked calm and in command from the opening possession. It would have been easy for Love to shy away from the bright lights of his postseason start.
Instead, he thrived.
This week is likely his biggest challenge to date. The 49ers’ defense led by Steve Wilks is one of the best in football and helped spearhead them to the NFC’s best record.
Love will need to continue to take care of the football in adverse situations as Wilks will throw everything that he has at him.
Keys to the Game (at 49ers)
