Now we know the who and the when for the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoff round. It’ll be the San Francisco 49ers coming to Lambeau Field Saturday night for a 7:15 CT kickoff. There’s plenty of time to dissect this year’s matchup, the second meeting this year between the clubs but this mark’s the 9th all-time playoff game between the storied franchises and the post-season series is all even at four games a piece.
I’ve had the pleasure of covering all 8 previous games but only three have been played in Green Bay. The post-season rivalry is one of sets, really, the first four meetings between Mike Holmgren’s Packers against his hometown childhood team and the organization where he got his coaching start in the NFL. The second set involved Colin Kaepernick playing the foil to Mike McCarthy’s Pack and set number three involves two close friends in Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan who’ friendship has been strained by Shanahan already denying LaFleur a trip to the Super Bowl once and a young Packer coach determined to not let it happen again, at home.
The World Series used to be a best of nine games affair so come Saturday night, it’ll be the decisive game nine in a wonderfully competitive NFL playoff rivalry.
Some thoughts on the first eight. 1995 Divisional Playoff January 6, 1996 Packers 27 49ers 17.
For the third year in a row, Holmgren’s up and coming Packers, led by the NFL’s MVP Brett Favre, had reached the post-season. The 49ers had moved on from Joe Montana to Steve Young but they were still the reigning Super Bowl champs. At 3COM Park on this day, the violence of linebacker Wayne Simmons put the rest of the league on notice, the Packers were ready for the next step. Simmons forced a fumble that Craig Newsome returned for the game’s opening touchdown and for the rest of the day, the former number one pick terrorized 49er tight end Brent Jones. Favre connected with his tight ends Mark Chmura and Keith Jackson for touchdowns in building a 21-0 lead and Holmgren was a winner in his first meeting against his old team. A third straight loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game followed but the wait for another title was almost over.
1996 Divisional Playoff January 4 1997 Packers 35 San Francisco 14
Coming off a first round bye, the NFC’s number one seed welcomed the Niners to Lambeau Field and what stood out from this game was the mud and Desmond Howard. The soon to be Super Bowl MVP took the game’s first punt 71 yards for a touchdown and his second covered 46 yards to set up another quick score and the Packers took control. Steve Young reinjured sore ribs and Elvis Grbac had to finish at quarterback. Ironically, it was a couple of special teams mistakes at the end of the second quarter and start of the third that allowed San Francisco back into the game. Favre led the offense on two scoring drives after that to put the game away. The tundra was so torn up from the quagmire conditions, the entire surface had to be re-sodded from turf trucked in from North Carolina in time for the NFC Championship Game against Carolina the following week. Fans snapped up boxes of the muddied turf which sold out at $10.00 a box.
1997 NFC Championship January 11, 1998 Packers 23 49ers 10
The rivals got together for a third straight year, a third straight appearance in the NFC title game for Holmgren’s Packers and on a drizzly afternoon, Green Bay dominated yet again. First year kicker Ryan Longwell hit three field goals against the team that cut him in training camp. Antonio Freeman and Dorsey Levens each scored touchdowns but this day belonged to the defense. San Francisco gained all of 33 yards on the ground and Young was sacked four times in the 4th quarter alone. The only Niner touchdown came on Chuck Levy’s 95 yard kickoff return after Green Bay built it’s lead to 23-3 late in the final quarter. Two other things I remember about the game, I still have a glove worn by linebacker George Koonce that day and as the game was winding down, I was talking with Huey Lewis on the sidelines (he and “The News” sang the National Anthem) and he realized the great San Francisco dynasty of Montana and Young was nearing it’s end. He was right but there would be one more year.
1998 NFC Wild Card January 3 1999 49ers 30 Packers 27
This was “The Catch – 2”. A back and fourth affair between Favre and Young came down to who had it last. That would be Young. With time for one last shot, Young stumbled while dropping back, gathered his feet and fired down the middle toward a receiver who frustrated his quarterback all day with dropped passes. This one, Terrell Owens hung on to between three Packer defenders in the end zone and the 49ers not only knocked Green Bay out of the playoffs, ended the careers of both Holmgren and Reggie White. After 7 years, a Super Bowl title and 4 unforgettable playoff games against San Francisco, Holmgren was on his way to become the man in charge of the Seattle Seahawks.
2001 NFC Wild Card January 13, 2002 Packers 25 49ers 15
The post-Holmgren era led to the one and done tenure of Ray Rhodes before Mike Sherman took the reigns and in his first post-season game as Head Coach, Sherman came up a winner against San Francisco. Trailing 7-6 at the half, Favre took to the air, hitting Bubba Franks for a touchdown and engineering two drives ending in Longwell field goals. A huge 4th quarter interception of Jeff Garcia by Tyrone Williams helped keep the Packers undefeated at home in their post-season history. Sherman would go on to lose 4 of his next 5 post-season games including two at Lambeau Field.
2012 NFC Divisional Playoff January 11, 2013 49ers 45 Packers 31
Two years removed from their Super Bowl triumphs, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers played one last post-season game at Candlestick Park. It started so well for Green Bay as Sam Shields returned an interception 52 yards to open the scoring. That would be the only miscue from young Colin Kaepernick. The Wisconsin native proceeded to run wild against the Green Bay defense in the read-option attack, piling up 181 yards on the ground with touchdown runs of 20 and 56 yards. He also threw for 263 yards hitting Michael Crabtree twice for scores and the 49ers dominated.
2013 NFC Wild Card January 5, 2014 49ers 23 Packers 20
The 2013 regular season opened the same way the previous year ended, with Kaepernick dominating the Packers, this time with an aerial attack in the 38-24 opener in San Francisco. The Packers were hoping the third time would be different. The venue and the weather certainly was. On a bitter night at Lambeau Field, the teams met yet again. Still nursing a recently healed broken collarbone, Rodgers and the offense started slowly but this time, the defense made things difficult for Kaepernick. Trailing 13-10 into the 4th quarter, John Kuhn’s touchdown plunge put Green Bay on top but a long kickoff return sparked the Niners. Kaepernick got loose around the corner for 24 yards and then hit Vernon Davis for a touchdown. Rodgers drove Green Bay to the San Francisco 6 but couldn’t finish the drive, settling for a game tying Mason Crosby field goal. Given one last chance, the Packers gave Kaepernick two as Micah Hyde let a sure interception go through his hands. He then drove the Niners in range for Phil Dawson’s walk off 33 yard field goal.
2019 NFC Championship January 19, 2020 49ers 37 Packers 20
Despite losing big to San Francisco, 37-8 in the regular season, it was one of only three defeats suffered by Packer rookie Head Coach Matt LaFleur. He led his team back to the conference championship and a rematch against his former colleague Kyle Shanahan at Levi’s Stadium. In this case, lightning, and disaster struck twice. San Francisco used a punishing ground game to lead 27-0 at halftime and crush the Packers once more. Raheem Mostert piled up 220 rushing yards with four touchdowns as the Green Bay defense was overwhelmed. Rodgers would throw two touchdown passes in the second half, one to Aaron Jones who also scored on the ground but the Packers were denied on the doorstep of the Super Bowl for the third straight time since winning it all in 2011.
The first eight have been great, looking forward to number nine which will break a tie with the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants as the most played post-season rivalry in Packer franchise history.
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