49ers–Packers rivalry
The 49ers–Packers rivalry is an American football rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. The two teams do not play every year; instead, they play once every three years due to the NFL's rotating division schedules, or if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions, they would play each other the following season. The rivalry became prominent during the 1990s, as the Brett Favre-led Packers defeated the Steve Young-led 49ers in three of four playoff meetings.[1] In the 2005 NFL Draft, the 49ers selected Alex Smith with the first overall selection, passing on northern California native Aaron Rodgers; Green Bay later selected Rodgers with the 24th pick. Since Rodgers became the Packers' starter in 2008, the Packers and 49ers met in the playoffs four times, though the 49ers won all four of these meetings.[2]
.jpg.webp) Aaron Rodgers (#12) of the Packers lining up against Patrick Willis (#52) of the 49ers during a 2012 match-up | |
San Francisco 49ers
Green Bay Packers
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| First meeting | November 26, 1950 Packers 25, 49ers 21 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | January 22, 2022 49ers 13, Packers 10 |
| Next meeting | TBD (No later than 2024 regular season) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 72 |
| All-time series | Packers, 38–33–1 |
| Regular season series | Packers, 34–28–1 |
| Postseason results | 49ers, 5–4
49ers 13, Packers 10 |
| Largest victory | 49ers, 35–0 (1954) |
| Longest win streak | Packers, 8 (1999–2010) |
| Current win streak | 49ers, 1 (2022–present) |
  San Francisco 49ers Green Bay Packers | |
The Packers lead the all-time series 38–33–1. The teams have met nine times in the playoffs, with the 49ers leading 5–4.
History
The 49ers and Packers emerged as rivals during the mid-1990s, playing in four consecutive playoff games. During this period, the 49ers were led by Steve Young and Jerry Rice, while the Packers featured Brett Favre as its offensive leader, and Reggie White as its defensive anchor. The two teams' head coaches came from the Bill Walsh coaching tree, with 49ers head coach George Seifert having served under Walsh as a defensive coordinator, and Packers head coach Mike Holmgren having served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Both were on Walsh's staff when the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIII in 1988, and Holmgren served on Seifert's staff when the 49ers repeated as champions in Super Bowl XXIV following the 1989 season. Before the 1992 season, Holmgren was hired as the Packers' head coach, and acquired Favre from the Atlanta Falcons.[3]
Their first postseason encounter came in the 1995 Divisional Round. The 49ers entered the game as defending Super Bowl champions. In that game, the Packers jumped out to a 21–0 lead en route to a 27–17 victory at Candlestick Park. While Favre threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Young completed 32 of a record 65 pass attempts for 328 yards, with two interceptions and three sacks.[4] The two teams met again in the 1996 Divisional Round, with Green Bay also winning the game 35–14 en route to claiming Super Bowl XXXI. This game was notorious for muddy conditions at Lambeau Field following a torrent of rain and snow. In a defensive battle, it was special teams player and eventual Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard who stole the show, with a 71-yard punt return touchdown and a 46-yard return to set up another Packers touchdown. After this game, Seifert left the 49ers, and former Packers assistant Steve Mariucci took over as head coach.[5]
Muddy field conditions and torrential rain also played a key role when the 49ers and Packers met for a third straight postseason in the 1997 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park. This game, which the Packers won 23–10 en route to a losing effort in Super Bowl XXXII, saw Favre complete a touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the second quarter to give the Packers a lead they never relinquished.[5] But perhaps the most defining moment of the rivalry came in the 1998 Wild Card Round. Late in the fourth quarter, with the 49ers trailing 27–23, Young drove 76 yards to set up Terrell Owens' game-winning touchdown catch. This moment became known as The Catch II, in homage to a similar play in the 1981 NFC Championship Game. This was also the only time Young defeated Favre in the playoffs, and was also Favre's only career loss to San Francisco as a Packer.[5]
The final playoff meeting involving Brett Favre came in the 2001 Wild Card Round. With the Packers trailing at home 7–6 entering the second half, Favre completed 16 of 21 passes for 226 yards, and led the Packers to four scoring drives. The last of those drives saw Ahman Green run nine yards for the game-sealing touchdown.[5]
The rivalry between the two teams reignited during the 2005 NFL Draft. After the 49ers finished 2–14 in the 2004 season, they received the top overall pick in the draft. This draft featured two top quarterback prospects in Alex Smith and northern California native Aaron Rodgers, who grew up rooting for the 49ers and idolizing Joe Montana. In an infamous draft moment, the 49ers passed on Rodgers and selected Smith with the first pick. Meanwhile, Rodgers had to wait until the Packers selected him with the 24th overall pick.[6] While Smith immediately became the starter for the 49ers, Rodgers backed up Favre for three seasons before becoming the Packers' starting quarterback in 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, Rodgers defeated Smith in two of three regular season encounters, before Smith was eventually traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.
During the Brett Favre era, the Packers dominated the 49ers, with Favre having an 11–1 record against them (with the only loss being the aforementioned 1998 Wild Card game). Since the Aaron Rodgers era began, however, the 49ers have had more success against the Packers, as Rodgers is 6–7 all-time against the 49ers (including an 0–4 playoff record). This is stark contrast with the Cowboys–Packers rivalry, where Favre went 2–9 against Dallas while Rodgers sports an 8–2 record against Dallas.
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The 49ers and Packers renewed their playoff rivalry in the 2012 Divisional Round. This game saw the playoff debut of Colin Kaepernick, and he rewarded the home fans with a quarterback playoff record 181 rushing yards, 263 passing yards and four touchdowns. This marked the final playoff game at Candlestick Park.[7][8] The following season, a rematch took place in Green Bay during the 2013 Wild Card Round. Despite the chilly conditions at Lambeau Field, the 49ers prevailed in a close-knit affair 23–20, with Phil Dawson scoring the game-winning field goal. Kaepernick ran for 98 yards and threw 227 yards. This was San Francisco's first playoff road victory over Green Bay.[9] The 49ers and Packers also faced off in the 2019 NFC Championship Game, with running back Raheem Mostert scoring four touchdowns on 220 rushing yards.[10] This game also featured two coaches who were fourth-generation descendants to the Bill Walsh coaching tree, as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur both served under Kyle's father Mike Shanahan, who in turn succeeded Mike Holmgren as the 49ers' offensive coordinator under George Seifert.[11][3]
Two years after the 2019 NFC Championship, the two teams met again in the 2021 Divisional Round. While the Packers entered the contest as the NFC's top seed, the sixth-seeded 49ers bested the Packers in a low-scoring contest, 13–10. The game's turning point saw the 49ers' special teams score a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter following a blocked punt on Packers punter Corey Bojorquez, and in the closing seconds, placekicker Robbie Gould kicked the game-winning field goal.[12] This dropped Rodgers' playoff record against the 49ers to 0–4.
Game results
| San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers Season-by-Season Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1950s (49ers, 13–5)
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1960s (Packers, 12–4–1)
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1970s (49ers, 4–2)
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1980s (49ers, 3–2)
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1990s (Packers, 6–2)
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2000s (Packers, 6–0)
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2010s (49ers, 6–3)
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2020s (Packers, 2–1)
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Summary of Results
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Club success
- Statistics current as of February 2023
| Team | NFL Titles[note 1] | Conference Titles | Divisional Titles | Wild Card Berths | Playoff Appearances | NFL Title Game Appearances[note 2] | Super Bowl Appearances[note 3] | All-time Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 7 | 21 | 5 | 29 | 0[note 4] | 7 | 612–510–16 (.545) |
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 9 | 21 | 7 | 38 | 13 | 5 | 790–590–38 (.571) |
| Combined | 18 | 16 | 42 | 12 | 67 | 13 | 12 | 1402–1100–54 (.559) |
| Sources: Green Bay Packers at Pro Football Reference and San Francisco 49ers at Pro Football Reference | ||||||||
See also
Notes
- Includes total NFL titles won before and after the AFL–NFL merger
- Includes NFL Championship Games between 1933 and 1969
- Includes Super Bowls from I to the present (1966 – present)
- The 49ers played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949, before joining the NFL in 1950
References
- DeArdo, Bryan (July 1, 2020). "NFL's top rivalries of the 1990s: Cowboys part of two legendary matchups". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
- Patrick Holloway (January 19, 2020). "The 49ers, the Packers, and everything you need to know about the rivalry". SB Nation. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Nancy Gay (July 30, 2007). "Bill Walsh planted the ultimate coaching tree". SFGate. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Meisel, Barry (1996-01-07). "Falling In a Pack Trap Champion 49ers Dethroned In Stunner". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- Brad Kurtzberg (January 4, 2014). "The Rich NFL Playoff History of the Packers vs. 49ers". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Shane Mickle (November 8, 2021). "The story of how Aaron Rodgers became the no. 24 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Inman, Cam (January 12, 2013). "Putting Kaepernick's rushing performance in franchise, league perspective". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- "Colin Kaepernick sets QB rushing mark as Niners oust Packers". ESPN.com. January 12, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- Chris Wilson (January 17, 2020). "Packers vs. 49ers: History behind the rivalry ahead of NFC Championship". FanSided. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Shpigel, Ben (2 February 2020). "The 49ers Run (and Run and Run) Over Green Bay and Into the Super Bowl". The New York Times.
- Joe Rivera (September 27, 2021). "Mike Shanahan coaching tree: Son Kyle, Matt LaFleur face off in battle of coaching tree products". Sporting News. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Tyler Sullivan (January 22, 2022). "Packers, Titans become first No. 1 seeds to both go down in divisional round since 2010". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 23, 2022.