Why the Packers can Beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship

PackFan2005 At season's end in 2018, the Green Bay Packers had a 6-9-1 record and the San Francisco 49ers had been even worse, going 4-12. The two teams then proceeded to have an unprecedented turnaround, and both went 13-3 and got first round byes in the playoffs. The 2019 season was kind to both teams. Like in 2018, the two teams also met up during the regular season. The Packers won in 2018, and going into the 2019 matchup, anticipation was running high among both fanbases going into their Week 12 matchup on Sunday Night Football. It would be an ultimate shootout between two NFC heavyweights, and the defenses would also make splash plays. What a game it was going to be. Then, the game was played, and well... lets just say it was lopsided. By that, I mean the 49ers walloped the Packers in Santa Clara 37-8. It was nothing like anyone had envisioned would happen. That game is why the 49ers are 7.5 point favorites at home. I can honestly see why, after all, they dominated us before. But, to me, this game just feels different. I think the team really learned its lesson from last time, and can improve on the dud in November. I feel cautiously optimistic, in fact. Now, I will be stating how the Packers can beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship.

Bryan Bulaga is Back

Midway through the first quarter of the first game against these two teams, right tackle Bryan Bulaga left the game with a knee injury, and did not return. In his place, 2018 undrafted free agent Alex Light struggled going against rookie sensation Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. Aaron Rodgers was under constant pressure without Bulaga in the lineup, and he didn't have time to make plays. Fast forward to January, and Bulaga is healthy again (despite missing the NFC Divisional against the Seahawks due to an illness), and will be there to protect Aaron Rodgers. In the event he goes down during the game, it is not Alex Light who is his backup now, but Jared Veldheer, who was claimed off waivers on November 29th, five days after the debacle against the 49ers. Coming in for a concussed Bulaga in the Week 17 season finale against the Detroit Lions, Veldheer held strong. The same can be said for his performance against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round, with him playing well, especially matching up with Jadeveon Clowney during the game. Veldheer, like Bulaga, is a seasoned veteran of the offensive line, and is good insurance in case Bulaga goes down again. Still, I'm not anticipating that this time around, and I'm feeling good knowing Bulaga will be protecting Rodgers against Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead instead of Alex Light.

Health

This is a point I addressed talking about Bryan Bulaga's return. This is the healthiest Packers team in many years, with Lane Taylor and Raven Greene the only notable players to be placed on injured reserve this season. Taylor's replacement Elgton Jenkins has been better than him, and Greene is set to return from injured reserve, possibly against the 49ers. The Packers have been a picture of health this season, unlike in year's past. The only questionable player for the Packers is fullback Danny Vitale, who has not played since Week 16 while sustaining a knee injury. But since he's had almost a month to recover, I anticipate that he will be good to go for the game. Recently, there was an illness spreading across the locker room, and Bryan Bulaga, Alex Light, and Josh Jackson all didn't play against the Seahawks because of it. They have all recovered, and the most recent case was Geronimo Allison, but his sickness barely lasted a day, and he'll play. With the sickness mostly gone, the Packers should be good to go there. Of course it is important to note the 49ers are very healthy too. In fact, they have no players on their final injury report, meaning they will most likely be at full strength for the NFC Championship. But so will the Packers.

Improved Defense

The Packers defense started the first three weeks of the season on a roll, but slogged and was carried by the offense from weeks 4-12. In fact, the 49ers game was the last truly bad game for the defense. Since then they have cleaned up their act, and it started with a 3 interception and 13 points allowed performance in a 31-13 win over the New York Giants. Their best game this season came arguably at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, with Za'Darius Smith absolutely demolishing the Vikings' offensive line for 3.5 sacks. The defense also notched an interception in that game, Kevin King was the one who got it. That 49ers game helped the defense wake up and improve over the last half of the season, and I think they will have a bounce back game against the 49ers, this time in a bigger game.

Special Teams

Yeah, saying this back in Week 12 would have been absolutely ludicrous, but now it actually makes sense. The special teams resurgence after the 49ers game started with claiming Tyler Ervin off waivers on December 2nd, a day after former returner Tremon Smith's final game with the Packers. Before he came, the Packers had an insanely low -8 punt return yards on the season, Yes, you read that right. In Ervin's first game as a Packer, against the Washington Redskins, he had over 50 punt return yards, saving the Packers special teams from living in NFL infamy. He is a legitimate weapon in the return game, and even doing jet sweeps on offense, he's been effective. Punter JK Scott has also been great for the Packers as of late, after a midseason slump. Kicker Mason Crosby had one of his best years in 2019 as well. Special teams could contribute heavily to give the Packers a better chance at winning.

Aaron Rodgers

Finally, we have the man himself, Aaron Rodgers. By his standards, he had a down year, and arguably one of the worst performances of his career came against the 49ers in Week 12. Yes, Rodgers deserves some blame for that game, but it didn't help that Bryan Bulaga was injured and none of his receivers could get open (Davante Adams wasn't 100% in that game either). His Week 17 performance was also nothing to write home about. But, against the Seahawks, Rodgers looked like the quarterback we know him as. Coming with clutch third down throws, most notably to Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham, and also throwing for two touchdowns. Rodgers is still elite, and maybe only Packers fans still see that. When you face Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs, you don't underestimate him. The biggest mistake the 49ers could possibly make during the NFC Championship is doing just that.

Look, I'm not saying the Packers will win the game. But I feel really confident in our team to get the job done, and advance to the Super Bowl.

Comments

Well I wish y’all good luck. Here’s hoping for a Super Bowl I rematch and a State Farm Bowl. Winner gets to keep making commercials. Loser gets the sucky agent - visitor (1/19/2020)

Well if they had stopped the run the game could have been much closer. Regardless the better team advanced, and we have the sea of red bowl upon us. - visitor (1/19/2020)