Right about the time the 43rd Ryder Cup is finishing up in Haven, WI (an hour-ish drive from Lambeau Field – hopefully with a USA win Sunday) the Packers and 49ers will be taking the field at Levi’s Stadium for warm-ups in Santa Clara, CA, where NFL Sunday Night Football will close out the NFL day. What a prime-time matchup – let’s get into this rivalry!
Green Bay, whose defense has really struggled under new coordinator Joe Barry, needs a win to avoid going 1-2 on the young season. Meanwhile, San Francisco who is 2-0 in the ultra-competitive NFC West, dominated Green Bay both times they met in Levi’s Stadium in 2019. Green Bay won easily last year at Levi’s but NFL fans will remember the 2020 ‘Niners were devastated with injury.
This Packers-49ers rivalry is thick with history. Some insight into the recent duel; Packers’ Head Coach Matt LaFleur worked under 49ers Head Coach, Kyle Shanahan as an offensive assistant, and while they both claim to retain their close friendship, it is rumored to be strained as this past summer Shanahan pursued Aaron Rodgers and reached out to LaFleur who didn’t return the phone call. Again, this is rumored, but rumors make the game so much more fun in this NFL fan’s opinion. Sunday night we will see how this rumored strain will play out on the field.
Las Vegas odds opened with Green Bay as a 2.5 point dog but the line since moved to 3.5. The last time Garoppolo faced Green Bay he only attempted 8 passes in the 49ers 2019 NFC Championship blowout home win. Look for Shanahan to employ a similar strategy Sunday. For Green Bay, the challenge will be to keep Rodgers upright. When healthy, the 49ers rush has been key in recent matchups between the two teams. The ‘Niners rush is likely to cause issues for the Packers Sunday night as the Green Bay O-line is banged up with 2 starters out (G-David Bakhtari & G-Elkton Jenkins).
Packers vs 49ers All-time Head-to-Head (and other) stats:
Packers/49ers
Wins all-time: 37/32 (1 tie)
Playoff wins: 4/4
Since 2000: 9/6
Packers in San Francisco/Santa Clara: 12/21
- Packers SNF record: 20-18-0
- 49ers SNF record: 7-8-0
- Packers longest win streak: 8 (1999-2010)
- 49ers longest win streak: 7 (1950-1954)
- Aaron Rodgers vs 49ers: 4-6
- Jimmy Garoppolo vs Packers: 2-0
- Last meeting 11/05/2020: Green Bay 34 San Francisco 17 (Attendance – 0)
- Levi’s Stadium Capacity: 68,500
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