3 things to watch when the Packers visit the 49ers in a divisional playoff game
In the Green Bay Packers’ 48-32 NFC wild card victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the offense scored six touchdowns, and the defense not only set up one touchdown but also scored one on Darnell Savage’s pick-six interception. Love could understand why some fans may have thought the team had it easy.
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But it was anything but, the starting quarterback for the Packers in his rookie season strongly stated.
“It’s not simple. Love stated that there is a lot of preparation involved in the entire week, including the coaches providing us with the plan, studying the plan, and anticipating the defense’s strategy. It’s undoubtedly difficult.
But as the season progresses, it’s become simpler.
How to watch the Packers at the 49ers in the NFC divisional round
There’ll be nothing easy about what comes next, that is for certain. That win over the Cowboys earned the Packers (10-8) the right to face the No. 1-seeded San Francisco 49ers (12-5) in Saturday night’s NFC divisional playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
And while Love and head coach Matt LaFleur agreed that the win over the Cowboys was the team’s best, most complete performance of the season, beating the 49ers will take an even more impressive effort.
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“We’re going to need a better game, for sure. Absolutely,” LaFleur said before the team departed for California on Friday. “You can always get better, right? That’s our mindset. We’re going against a great opponent and we’re going to need to be at our best.”
‘We want the ball and we’re gonna score’
Maybe LaFleur has just been channeling his inner Matt Hasselbeck, the former Packers-turned-Seattle Seahawks quarterback who infamously proclaimed, “We want the ball and we’re gonna score” after winning the overtime coin toss in an NFC wild card playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 4, 2004.
We all remember what happened during that OT, as cornerback Al Harris pick-sixed Hasselbeck and won the game with his walk-off interception return for a touchdown.
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Things have gone much better for LaFleur when he’s taken the ball to start games this season.
Just as he did in his team’s Thanksgiving Day victory in Detroit — and, ostensibly, in the next week’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs, although the Chiefs won the coin toss that day and elected to defer — LaFleur had his game-day captains choose taking the football after winning the opening toss against Dallas.
According to research done by the Packers’ Weston Hodkiewicz, Green Bay had won 39 opening coin tosses in LaFleur’s tenure before that Thanksgiving game.
Do you know how often he stole the ball? None. Nothing. Nothing at all.
The offense moved 75 yards in 12 plays against the Cowboys last Sunday after receiving the ball, scoring the first of veteran running back Aaron Jones’ three touchdowns of the game.
The tone was set, even if the offense had to withstand the initial fervor of the 93,799 fans at AT&T Stadium.
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It’s particularly difficult when traveling. Veteran right guard Jon Runyan stated, “You kind of feel like you’re fighting uphill even more if you don’t start fast.” That was one of the loudest audiences I’ve ever heard during the opening drive and first third down. The sound was overwhelming. Really, you were unable to hear anything. The crowd became incredibly silent as the game progressed through the second and third quarters.
There’s more to it than just “gut feel,” despite LaFleur’s assertion that it mostly boils down to that when taking the ball. It all comes down to recognizing what your opponent is capable of, assessing the risk vs. return, and letting the other team and yourself know that you’re not afraid.
As explosive as the Cowboys have been offensively and defensively, LaFleur said, “I thought it was best in that particular game to try and manufacture a scoring drive, get up on them early.” “And our guys were able to execute out there.”
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Furthermore, the Packers probably don’t mind taking a chance even though a three-and-out would give the 49ers the upper hand early in the game—especially considering that their 10 opening-drive touchdowns and 12 overall opening-drive scores during the regular season were the most by any team since 2000.
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