Ranking the 7 Greatest Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers Games

Whenever the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers meet, it's easy to think of NFL history. They are two of the most iconic franchises in the league, combining for nine Super Bowl victories.

And the rivalry couldn't be a whole lot closer.

Green Bay leads the all-time series 38-33-1, including a 24-18 overall mark during the Super Bowl era (1966). Although the Packers won four of the first five playoff matchups, the 49ers have since earned four consecutive victories in the postseason.

We're remembering seven of the greatest clashes between two of the NFL's most recognizable teams.

During the 1989 regular season, the 5-5 Packers traveled to Candlestick Park as double-digit underdogs to the 9-1 Niners.

But the Packers took down the champs.

Don Majkowski rushed in two touchdowns, including the winner in the fourth quarter. Sterling Sharpe also caught a score for Green Bay, which sacked Joe Montana six times, forced four turnovers and pulled off a 21-17 shocker.

The result is perhaps more notable, though, for it being San Francisco's final loss of the campaign. The reigning Super Bowl winner rattled off eight consecutive wins, barreling through the playoffs with a combined 126-26 margin to celebrate a second successive title.

Seven years later, a pair of one-loss teams met at Lambeau Field for an early showdown.

Yes, the 49ers were without Steve Young because of a groin injury. But they put a serious scare into the Packers, who took an early 6-0 lead but surrendered 17 straight points. Elvis Grbac tossed two touchdowns to Jerry Rice.

The final quarter was a back-and-forth affair, beginning with Green Bay's Chris Jacke hitting a tying field goal with 3:35 remaining. San Francisco regained the lead on Jeff Wilkins' 28-yard kick, but Jacke evened the score with eight seconds left in regulation.

After a 49ers three-and-out to begin overtime, Brett Favre guided the offense into Jacke's range. He buried a 53-yarder to give the Packers a nerve-wracking win.

Green Bay again defeated San Francisco, winning 35-14 in the Divisional Round matchup en route to Favre's lone Super Bowl triumph.

The opening game of the 2013 regular season featured a roller coaster of emotions.

During the first quarter, both Colin Kaepernick and Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown. Both did in the second and third quarters, too. The teams alternated scoring into the final frame.

San Francisco edged ahead on Phil Dawson's 27-yard field goal, but Eddie Lacy's short rushing score put Green Bay in front. San Francisco responded thanks to Frank Gore's touchdown run, taking a 31-28 lead with about six minutes to play.

Following a Green Bay three-and-out, the 49ers sealed the game with an agonizing drive that included two third-down conversions and another on fourth down before Dawson added an insurance field goal from 33 yards out.

You might remember this solely as "The Colin Kaepernick Game."

From an individual perspective, there may not be a greater performance in this rivalry. During this divisional round matchup, he threw for 263 yards, rushed for 181, accounted for four touchdowns and led the Niners to a 45-31 victory.

Green Bay simply could not stop Kaepernick, who had replaced Alex Smith as the starting quarterback midway through the season.

After the Packers tied the score at 24 in the third quarter, Kaepernick ripped off a 56-yard touchdown run that sparked a decisive streak of 21 unanswered points from the 49ers.

San Francisco would ultimately edge the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship but fall to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.

As they did in 1989, the Packers pulled off a massive upset in 1996. This time around, the stakes were far greater.

San Francisco, a 9.5-point favorite, hosted this divisional-round clash but faltered early and often. Kickstarted by Craig Newsome's 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown, Green Bay rattled off 21 consecutive points and dazed the defending champions.

Young helped the Niners close the gap to 11 points, and they had a chance to trim the deficit to one possession. However, the Packers forced three straight three-and-outs to seal the upset.

Green Bay held the NFL's best offense to just 17 points, advancing to its first-ever NFC Championship Game.

Rodgers' broken collarbone put a damper on the 2013 season, but Green Bay snuck into the postseason thanks to an epic victory over the rival Chicago Bears.

And a familiar foe loomed in the Wild Card Round.

San Francisco had eliminated the Packers from the 2012 postseason and, as covered earlier, began the 2013 regular season with a tense win. Green Bay had a fantastic shot for revenge, hosting this showdown after traveling to the Bay Area for those previous two games.

As usual, the teams basically traded scores. The lead changed hands four times before Packers kicker Mason Crosby hit a 24-yard field goal to even the score at 20 with 5:06 remaining.

Once again, a ruthless drive capped San Francisco's win. The 14-play drive consumed the entire clock, and Dawson's 33-yard kick as time expired sent the Niners to the next round.

This contest put the "wild" in Wild Card Round.

Not only did it include five lead changes, but neither team scored more than 10 straight points. Most excitingly, the fourth quarter had a couple of late scores. Favre connected with Antonio Freeman to give Green Bay a 27-23 edge with two minutes to play, and Young found Terrell Owens for the winning score in the final seconds.

Controversy, however, is what defined this game. Earlier on that final drive, 49ers legend Jerry Rice undoubtedly lost a fumble. But officials ruled him down, and replay could not be used.

Green Bay, the two-time reigning NFC champions, would not return to the Super Bowl again in Favre's tenure.