While the betting spread for the contest is one of the largest of the weekend, there is plenty of interest in the game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. The home 49ers are the Super Bowl favorites heading into the Divisional Round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs and are 9.5 point favorites, there is reason to believe that Jordan Love and company can stay hot and give San Francisco a run for their money on Saturday night.
NFL: Packers Have Lost 4 Straight Playoff Games To 49ers
49ers-Packers Playoff History:
1996 – Packers win 27-17
1997 – Packers win 35-14
1998 – Packers win 23-10
1999 – 49ers win 30-27
2002 – Packers win 25-15
2013 – 49ers win 45-31
2014 – 49ers win 23-20
2020 – 49ers win 37-20
2022 – 49ers win 13-10
2024 – pic.twitter.com/3lO8odHoEs
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 18, 2024
But if history is any indication, they’ll have a hard time overcoming the odds in order to advance to the Conference Championship.
The two sides have met in some memorable playoff games in the past. Most recently, it was the cold, snowy, low-scoring affair in January 2022 that was won on a blocked punt by the 49ers. There were the back to back years in 2013 and 2014 in which Green Bay was eliminated by the Jim Harbaugh-led 49ers, as well.
But the theme throughout the postseason matchups between the two sides since 2002 has been 49ers victories. Since the Brett Favre-led Packers won in the 2001 Wild Card Round, Green Bay is 0-4 in four playoff tries, and will do their best to snap the skid by overcoming the odds this weekend.
Can Love And Company Overcome A 9.5-Point Spread
The most-bet game by bets AND handle for the NFL Divisional Round
The Green Bay Packers vs the San Francisco 49ers (-9.5) pic.twitter.com/t6maEPdMUn
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) January 17, 2024
Do they have enough Love has been the hottest quarterback in the NFL since the middle of November, having thrown 23 touchdowns to just a single interception in the span. He and his team looked dominant in their victory over the Cowboys during Wild Card Weekend, and there are some who believe that the 9.5-point spread is too high for a team on such a run.
But they’re running into a buzzsaw. Outside of perhaps three weeks, the 49ers have been the top team in the league throughout the year, boasting both an offense and defense that rank 3rd in points. They’ve had plenty of rest, as they enjoyed a bye week during the opening weekend of the postseason, and were able to rest their starters during the regular season finale with the #1 seed in the NFC wrapped up.
Of the four NFL games scheduled for the weekend, the game between the Packers and 49ers has the largest current spread.