The Green Bay Packers head to Levi’s Stadium to take on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.
The Packers ousted the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round last weekend. Green Bay took a 21-3 lead and then hung on to advance to the NFC title game. Meanwhile, the 49ers defeated the Minnesota Vikings in their divisional matchup 27-10 to advance to the next round. The 49ers defeated the Packers 37-8 during their regular-season meeting at Levi’s Stadium last November.
First NFC Title Game Appearance Since 2013
The Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round to advance to the NFC championship game for the first time since 2016. They will look to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010 but to do that, they will need to beat a San Francisco team which defeated them 37-8 last November at Levi’s Stadium.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 243 yards with two touchdowns while Davante Adams had 160 receiving yards with two touchdown grabs. Aaron Jones has rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns in the current postseason while Jimmy Graham has three catches for a total of 49 receiving yards.
Green Bay has allowed just 15.7 points per game in their last six games played but they will be put to the test against one of the most prolific scoring teams in the NFL this season. Offensively, the Packers have scored an average of 24.3 points per game in their last six outings and they will have to step up to beat the 49ers.
First Postseason Appearance Since 2013
The San Francisco 49ers are making their first postseason appearance since 2013. That year, the 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks 17-23 in the NFC championship game. This season, San Francisco hopes to better that finish by defeating the Packers and advancing to the Super Bowl.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 131 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. Tevin Coleman has rushed for a total of 105 yards with two scores against the Vikings. Deebo Samuel caught three passes for 42 yards while Kendrick Bourne has caught three passes for 40 yards with one touchdown.
The 49ers struggled to finish the season with a 3-2 record as their defense allowed 31.5 points per game in their final four outings. San Francisco ranked 2nd in the league in scoring at 29.9 points per game and they were 4th in total offense. On defense, they gave up an average of 19.4 points per game this season and 18.6 points per game at Levi’s Stadium where they are 7-2 SU this year.
Who Wins?
Green Bay is 6-0 SU in their last six games played. The Packers are 6-2 SU in their last eight games played on the road, and 6-0 SU in their last six games played against the NFC Conference. San Francisco is 14-3 SU in their last 17 games played. The 49ers are 4-1 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the 49ers are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the Packers.
Green Bay was splendid against Seattle as they converted 9 out of 14 third downs, were 3-3 in the red zone without committing a turnover. However, they will face a San Francisco defense that held the Vikings to 2-12 on third downs last weekend. The 49ers are ranked 2nd in the league in 3rd down.
Tevin Coleman rushed for 105 yards with two touchdowns while Raheem Mostert has been consistent at 6.9 yards per carrying with seven touchdowns in his last seven games played. They should have a good game against a Green Bay defense that is ranked 23rd against the rush and which is giving up 5.2 yards per carry in its last three games.
I think San Francisco’s pass rush is going to create plenty of problems for Rodgers and Jones. We saw them stop Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook last weekend and although the Green Bay tandem is better, I like the 49ers defense to get the job done here. Give me the home team in this matchup.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers
Other Bets to Make
The Packers are 4-2 ATS in their last six games played. Green Bay is 5-3 ATS in their last eight games played on the road, and 6-1 ATS in their last seven January games. The 49ers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played. San Francisco is 4-4-1 ATS in nine home games played this season. The 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last five January games, and 4-1 ATS in their last five Sunday games. Head to head, San Francisco is 5-3-2 ATS in their last 10 games played against Green Bay.
Packers
+7.5 (-110)
49ers
-7.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 01/17/20
San Francisco has outscored Green Bay by an average of 4.0 points per game in their last three meetings. The 49ers defense limited Minnesota to a total of 147 yards of total offense but they will be playing against a more talented offensive team in Green Bay. Rodgers has the experience to beat San Francisco but I think that the 49ers defense is going overwhelm Rodgers and Jones just like they did Cousins and Cook last week.
Prediction: 49ers -7.5
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Packers. The under is also 4-1 in Green Bay’s last five games played on the road and the under is also 9-4 in their last 13 games versus the NFC West Division. The over is 6-3-1 in the last 10 games played by the 49ers. The total has gone over in four out of the last six home games played by San Francisco. Head to head, the total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Over
46.5 (-110)
Under
46.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 01/17/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 51.4 points per game in their last 10 meetings. The total has gone over in five out of the last seven home games played by San Francisco with an average combined score of 53.57 points. The over is 14-6 in Green Bay’s last 20 games as road underdogs of seven or more points. The 49ers have seen the total hit over in three out of their last four games as favorites of seven or more points.
Prediction: Over 46.5