Aaron Rodgers

The San Francisco 49ers upset the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in the Divisional Round on Saturday at Lambeau Field and are heading back to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2019.

GOULD IS GOOD.

THE @49ERS WIN IN LAMBEAU TO ADVANCE TO THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP. #FTTB #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/7JouarMybq

— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2022

It was a surprising loss for the Packers, who entered the contest as the NFC's No. 1 seed after finishing the regular season with a 13-4 record. However, the 49ers have been on a roll of late, entering the Divisional Round having won four of their last five games, including a wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys. 

It wasn't a pretty win from San Francisco by any means, but the team's defensive performance, and some special teams miscues from Green Bay, helped the Niners clinch the win. 

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Notable Stats

Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB: 20/29 for 225 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, SF: 11/19 for 131 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT

Aaron Jones, RB, GB: 12 CAR for 41 YDS and 9 REC for 129 YDS

George Kittle, TE, SF: 4 REC for 63 YDS

Davante Adams, WR, GB: 9 REC for 90 YDS

Deebo Samuel, WR, SF: 3 REC for 44 YDS and 10 CAR for 39 YDS

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Packers' Special Teams Hideous in Loss

The Packers' offense could've been better on Saturday, but Green Bay's special team's performance was significantly worse as it allowed a blocked punt returned for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to tie the game 10-10, in addition to a blocked field goal.

WHAT A HEADS UP PLAY BY THE ROOK @TalanoaHufanga 🤙#SFvsGB on FOX/49ers App pic.twitter.com/yzP6NAqWgW

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 23, 2022

Numero Uno said NOPE!#SFvsGB on FOX/49ers App pic.twitter.com/Z0MSMluWp9

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 23, 2022

The Packers also allowed 91 yards on three kick returns. And to make matters worse, it appears the team only had 10 men on the field for San Francisco's game-winning field goal, as noted by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. 

The NFL’s worst special teams unit turned in one of the worst special teams performances in NFL playoff history … and appears to have had only 10 men on the field for the winning field goal. pic.twitter.com/bJvPtHYXkQ

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 23, 2022

The Packers entered Saturday's game with the worst special teams unit in the NFL. Sports Illustrated'sRick Gosselin ranked the team dead last in his annual special teams rankings for the 2021 season.

It was the second time in the last four seasons that the Packers were ranked the worst special teams unit by Gosselin. 

The Packers finished last in the NFL in punt coverage and kickoff starting point. The special teams unit also found itself in the bottom half of the league in nine other metrics, including bottom-five marks in kick return average, field goal percentage, punts inside the 20-yard line and in points scored.

The special teams struggles, which ultimately cost the team a berth in the NFC Championship Game, will have to be addressed this offseason. Green Bay simply can't continue to move forward with a unit this bad, so expect significant changes moving forward.

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49ers Can Thank Defense for Win

San Francisco's defense played lights out against the Packers. And while the Niners benefitted from Green Bay's awful special teams' play, DeMeco Ryans' defense is also a major reason why the team is moving on to the NFC Championship Game. 

The defense limited Rodgers to just 225 yards and no touchdowns. The Packers veteran hadn't been held without a touchdown since a Week 10 win over the Seattle Seahawks, a testament to his excellence this season.

In addition, San Francisco forced a fumble and allowed the Packers to convert on just five of their 12 third-down attempts. 

However, we really should have seen this coming after San Francisco held the Cowboys to just 307 yards of total offense and forced a turnover in the NFC Wild Card Round last weekend. 

The 49ers defense has been strong all season, allowing just 206.5 passing yards per game (sixth-best mark). The team's rush defense was equally as good, allowing just 103.5 yards per game on the ground (seventh-best mark). 

With players like Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner, Emmanuel Moseley and Jaquiski Tartt, it should really come as no surprise that the 49ers defense balled out against the Packers. 

San Francisco will need an equally impressive performance from its defense in the NFC Championship Game, but that's not its biggest concern.

As the team prepares for a heavyweight matchup against either the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it will need to focus on getting its offense back up to speed after Garoppolo and Co. were held to just 212 yards of total offense on Saturday night.

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What's Next?

The 49ers will move on to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, while the Packers will begin preparing for the 2022 season, which could possibly be without Rodgers. 

Aaron Rodgers did an interview with Sportsnet on Wednesday and cracked a Deflategate joke at Tom Brady's expense while he was throwing footballs at drones. 

"This is too firm for the Patriots," he joked at the 1:15 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gDawFMyBB4?start=75

Good one, Aaron. 

The top-seeded Packers are set to host San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round on Saturday, while Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to the Los Angeles Rams the next day. 

If both teams win, a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game will follow. And Rodgers can make his joke to Brady in person. 

There are big expectations for the divisional-round clash between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. 

The two AFC sides combined for 802 total yards and 62 points in last season's AFC Championship Game, and they each come into Sunday's game off 40-point performances in the Wild Card Round. 

Buffalo and Kansas City appear primed to produce another high-scoring affair, which has led to the highest over/under on the board for the weekend slate. 

The No. 1 seeds entering the fray on Saturday carry the largest point spreads in their favor. The Green Bay Packers are close to a touchdown favorite on a weekend when all of the other lines are around a field goal.

Green Bay defeated San Francisco early in the regular season, and it may be better suited to make a deep playoff run compared to last season because of its improved defense. 

If Green Bay and the Tennessee Titans win Saturday, they will be the hosts of the two conference championship games. 

If one of the No. 1 seeds lose, the winner of the Sunday game in that respective conference hosts next weekend. 

          

Divisional-Round Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Saturday, January 22

Cincinnati at Tennessee (-3.5) (O/U: 47) (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS) 

San Francisco at Green Bay (-6) (O/U: 47) (8:15 p.m. ET, Fox)

        

Sunday, January 23

Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay (-3) (O/U: 48.5) (3 p.m. ET, NBC) 

Buffalo at Kansas City (-1.5) (O/U: 54.5) (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS) 

         

Buffalo at Kansas City (Over 54.5) 

Buffalo and Kansas City set the standard for playoff offense in the Wild Card Round. 

The Bills blasted through the New England Patriots defense for 47 points and 482 total yards, while the Chiefs torched the Pittsburgh Steelers for 42 points and 478 total yards. 

Those two performances sent expectations through the roof for the AFC Championship Game rematch at Arrowhead Stadium. 

Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes combined for 612 passing yards and five touchdowns in that clash. The Bills quarterback also had 88 rushing yards on seven carries. 

Allen has an improved set of options around him thanks to the development of Devin Singletary and Dawson Knox at running back and tight end, respectively.

Buffalo has a more balanced rushing attack, and Knox gives Allen an extra red-zone target to pick out if Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and others are covered. 

Kansas City still has Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce in place, but the depth pieces behind them have gotten better. Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle had over 500 receiving yards in the regular season, and Demarcus Robinson had 76 yards in the win over Pittsburgh. 

The Chiefs also added in Jerick McKinnon's pass-catching ability out of the backfield to complement Darrel Williams versus the Steelers. 

It will be hard for either defense to slow down every facet of the opposing offense, and that sets the stage for a shootout. 

Kansas City's defense gave up over 400 total yards on seven occasions. One of those was the 38-20 loss to the Bills in Week 5. 

Buffalo's defense only had one 400-yard concession, but it did give up its second-highest total to Kansas City in the regular-season clash at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Week 5 showdown produced 58 points, and that's another sign pointing to the over being the best bet for the divisional-round finale. 

         

San Francisco at Green Bay (-6) 

Green Bay fixed some of the issues that plagued it during last season's playoff run. 

The Packers were torched by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game. They responded by drafting Eric Stokes in the first round, and they found a gem in Rasul Douglas midway through the regular season.

Green Bay's secondary is better equipped to take on any postseason challenge, and that could help with covering Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. 

A shutdown in the defensive backfield could help the Packers deal with the 49ers rushing attack. Green Bay was one of the few teams that held San Francisco to under 100 rushing yards in the regular season. 

The 49ers did not have Elijah Mitchell in the Week 3 contest, though, and that game happened well before Deebo Samuel was a major asset in the ground attack. 

Green Bay needs to adapt its run-game defense to deal with Samuel around the edges and Mitchell through the middle. 

The Packers do have familiarity with Kyle Shanahan's run-blocking scheme, which could help them shut down parts of the ground attack.

Aaron Rodgers achieved success in Week 3 by completing 23 of his 33 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. 

The 38-year-old is expected to get Randall Cobb back this week, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, to bolster his receiving corps led by Davante Adams. 

The combination of Adams, Cobb, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling could be too much for the San Francisco defense to handle. Four of its highest passing-yard concessions came on the road, or against the Packers. 

If Rodgers has the same level of success on Saturday as he did in Week 3, the Packers could cover the highest point spread of the weekend. 

         

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