Sunday, January 5th 2014 (4:40 PM ET)
Lambeau Field, Green Bay WI
Station: Fox
Announcers: Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and Pam Oliver (sideline).
Point Spread: 49ers (-3)
Over/Under: 48
Expected Game-Time Weather: High of zero degrees and a low of -18 with wind chill between -30 and -50. Wind 14 MPH to the SE.
49ers Offense vs Packers Defense | Team | PPG | Passing Yds | Rushing Yds | Total Yds | Sacks | Turnover Diff. |
| 49ers | 25.4 (11) | 186.2 (30) | 137.6 (3) | 323.8 (24) | 39 (11) | +12 (4) |
| Packers | 26.8 (24) | 247.2 (24) | 125.0 (25) | 372.2 (25) | 44 (8) | -3 (19) |
San Francisco has put up an average of over 30 points per game since its Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Scoring hasn't been much of an issue for Colin Kaepernick and Co. this season. Instead, the 49ers offense has struggled making a ton of plays in the passing game. They rank 30th in the NFL in that category, but have picked it up a tad recently, going for an average of 216.5 yards per outing in the last six games...all wins. It might not seem like a lot, but if you add the 49ers third-ranked rushing offense, you have something there. The 49ers are also averaging 31.6 points per game in their last seven road outings.
Meanwhile, Green Bay's defense has been downright disastrous this season. It gave up over 10 points in each of its last 10 regular season games and 13 of 16 overall. Over the course of the Packers final 10 games, they gave up over 30 points per outing. That's pretty bad. Unfortunately for fans of the yellow and white, they go up against a 49ers team that has scored 109 points in their last three meetings with the Packers.
It's also important to note that the Packers have yielded an average of 177 rushing yards per outing in their last nine games and are going up against NFL's third-best rushing offense.
Packers Offense vs 49ers Defense | Team | PPG | Passing Yds | Rushing Yds | Total Yds | Sacks | Turnover Diff. |
| Packers | 26.1 (8) | 266.8 (6) | 133.5 (7) | 400.2 (3) | 45 (24) | -3 (19) |
| 49ers | 17.0 (3) | 221.0 (7) | 95.9 (4) | 316.9 (5) | 38 (19) | +12 (4) |
Green Bay has some advantages here. It appears that starting 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers will miss the game with a hamstring injury. This means that a combination of Eric Wright and Perrish Cox will likely have to line up against Week 17 hero Randall Cobb. The biggest thing to look at here when comparing units is one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL against a top-five run defense. Whoever wins that battle will likely go ahead and win the war. San Francisco is the only team in the league that didn't have a running back put up 100 or more yards against in a game during the regular season.
A friendly reminder here, the Packers were without Aaron Rodgers for seven games during the regular season and were still able to put up top-10 numbers in points per game, passing yards, rushing yards and total yards. One of the primary reason for that was rookie running back Eddie Lacy, who has been among the best running backs in the league over the past two months.
Key Matchups
Colin Kaepernick vs Packers Defense: It's well documented what Kaepernick has done against the Packers in his two career starts against them. Without getting into too much detail here, I broke down the matchup and how Green Bay can stop him on The Sports Daily.
Eddie Lacy vs 49ers Front Seven: Strength against strength in this one. Lacy is averaging nearly 100 total yards per game this season, while San Francisco is giving up less than 100 rushing yards per game. Something has to give, right? While it remains to be seen how much Lacy's ankle injury will impact him in the cold weather, it's important to note that San Francisco is giving up just 67 rushing yards per game in its last four outings.
Vernon Davis vs MD Jennings: Major mismatch on paper. Green Bay will have to utilize underneath coverage with Jennings going over the top in order to stop Davis. It really isn't that fair at this point. According to Pro Football Focus, Jennings ranked 74th of a possible 86 safety in coverage during the regular year. On the same sobering note for Packers fans, Davis steps up big time in the playoffs. He has recorded 22 receptions for 546 yards and five scores in five career postseason games.
Randall Cobb vs Eric Wright and Perrish Cox: This could end up being a major mismatch in favor of the home team. With Carlos Rogers unlikely to go in this one, San Francisco will have to rely on two castoffs to get the job done against Cobb. Wright was signed back in August and has only seen action in seven games this season. Cox, who was released by the 49ers last month, caught on with the Seattle Seahawks and was released by them two weeks ago before signing back with San Francisco. The one saving grace here is that both Wright and Cox are physical defensive backs and can attempt to jam Cobb at the line.
Statistical Leaders
San Francisco 49ers
Colin Kaepernick: 58.4 completion, 3,197 passing yards, 524 rushing yards, 25 total touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 91.6 rating.
Frank Gore: 1,128 rushing yards and nine touchdowns
Anquan Boldin: 85 receptions, 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns
Michael Crabtree: 19 receptions, 284 yards and one touchdown (five games).
Vernon Davis: 52 receptions, 850 yards and 13 touchdowns
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers: 66.6 completion, 2,536 passing yards, 17 total touchowns, six interceptions and a 104.9 rating (nine games).
Eddie Lacy: 1,178 rushing yards, 35 receptions, 257 yards and 11 total touchdowns
James Starks: 493 rushing yards and four total touchdowns
Jordy Nelson: 85 receptions, 1,314 yards and eight touchdowns
James Jones: 59 receptions, 817 yards and three touchdowns
Jarrett Boykin: 49 receptions, 681 yards and three touchdowns
Randall Cobb: 31 receptions, 433 yards and four touchdowns (six games).
Andrew Quarless: 32 receptions, 312 yards and two touchdowns