Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after operating in a landing within the first quarter towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers in the course of the NFC Divisional Playoff Recreation at Candlestick Park on January 12, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Picture by Harry How/Getty Photographs)
When the 49ers and Packers kick off their divisional spherical playoff matchup on Saturday night time in Inexperienced Bay, it’ll put their rivalry up on the prime of the file books.
It’ll be the ninth time San Francisco and Inexperienced Bay have performed within the playoffs, tying the Rams-Cowboys matchup for the most-played showdown in NFL playoff historical past. The entire earlier eight matchups have seen the 49ers face both the Packers present beginning quarterback Aaron Rodgers or their earlier starter Brett Favre.
Right here’s a glance again at the entire earlier 49ers-Packers postseason video games (Yr is the NFL season the sport was performed after):
1995 NFC divisional spherical: Packers win 27-17 in San Francisco
Many anticipated George Seifert’s 49ers would make it 4 NFC Championship matchups in a row with the Dallas Cowboys, because the groups completed as the highest two within the NFC once more. However able to cease them was a well-known face: Packers head coach Mike Holmgren, who spent six seasons as a prime offensive assistant for the 49ers and had labored with 49ers quarterback Steve Younger again in school at BYU. On Younger’s first go of the sport, Packers defensive again Craig Newsome intercepted the left-hander and returned it for a landing, and the Brett Favre-led offense adopted that up with two fast landing drives to make it 21-0 within the second quarter. Whereas the 49ers piled up the yards and added a couple of touchdowns, the Packers pressured 4 turnovers and tacked on a couple of subject objectives to upset the heavily-favored 49ers.
1996 NFC divisional spherical: Packers win 35-14 in Inexperienced Bay
The Packers had been the category of the NFL this season, scoring essentially the most factors and permitting the fewest factors of any staff within the league that season. Whereas the 49ers took the Packers to additional time at Lambeau within the common season in a 23-20 loss, this time the Packers stormed out to a 21-0 lead, sparked initially by a Desmond Howard 71-yard punt return landing. Howard had one other punt return of 46 yards to arrange a brief Packers landing drive. Inexperienced Bay’s protection pressured 5 San Francisco turnovers on the day, together with three interceptions of backup quarterback Elvis Grbac, who was referred to as on when Steve Younger’s rib damage pressured Younger out of the sport. It’d be the final recreation Seifert would coach for San Francisco, as he resigned as soon as the 49ers didn’t supply him a contract extension. The Packers would go on to win Tremendous Bowl XXXI, their first since Tremendous Bowl II.
1997 NFC Championship: Packers win 23-10 in San Francisco
A part of why Seifert left, per stories on the time, is that the 49ers had discovered his substitute in Steve Mariucci, who had been the Packers quarterback coach for 4 years earlier than leaving for one season as Cal’s head coach. The 49ers additionally added operating again Garrison Hearst and rolled to a 13-3 file within the common season, the most effective within the NFC even with out Rice for a majority of the season. However the accidents piled up late within the common season, and whereas the 49ers regarded strong in a divisional-round win over the Vikings, the Packers shut down the 49ers offense, holding them to simply 33 dashing yards, forcing two turnovers and sacking Younger 4 occasions. The 49ers’ solely factors got here through a subject aim and a kickoff return late, however the Packers offense didn’t flip it over as soon as to win the NFC for the second yr in a row.
1998 NFC wild-card spherical: 49ers win 30-27 in San Francisco
These three straight playoff losses, in addition to two losses within the common season – together with in 1998 — made this wild win so cathartic for the 49ers. The back-and-forth recreation noticed the lead change seven occasions, with the sixth change being a Favre 15-yard landing go to Antonio Freeman with 1:55 left to offer the Packers a 27-23 lead. Younger and the 49ers drove down the sector, utilizing their closing timeout once they reached the Inexperienced Bay 25 with 14 seconds left. Younger’s go supposed for J.J. Stokes was almost intercepted by the Packers’ Newsome, however referees dominated it incomplete, giving the 49ers one closing play with eight seconds left. Younger stumbled out of the snap however regrouped and fired it into site visitors for burgeoning celebrity Terrell Owens, who made the catch on the aim line whereas being hit by two Packers concurrently. However Owens held on, and The Catch II gave the 49ers their first playoff win over Favre and the Packers. The 49ers’ season would finish the subsequent week in Atlanta, falling 20-18 to the eventual NFC champion Falcons.
2001 NFC divisional spherical: Packers win 25-15 in Inexperienced Bay
It was the most effective 49ers staff by file within the time between the tip of Steve Younger’s profession and Jim Harbaugh’s arrival in San Francisco, a 12-4 staff led by a neighborhood product in quarterback Jeff Garcia (Gilroy Excessive, San Jose State alum) and his reference to Owens. However in a top-heavy NFC within the final yr of three divisions, the 49ers had similar data as fellow 12-4 wild-card staff Inexperienced Bay, however the Packers had a greater convention file and obtained to host. San Francisco benefitted from a missed further level and 2-point conversion by Inexperienced Bay to tie the sport at 15-15 early within the fourth after Garcia related with Tai Streets on a landing and 2-pointer. A Packers subject aim gave the 49ers an opportunity to drive for the win they usually reached the Inexperienced Bay 41 with 5:06 left, however a deep ball from Garcia supposed for Owens was swatted by Packers cornerback Mike McKenzie on to security Tyrone Williams for an interception. Inexperienced Bay drove down the sector for a landing and the 49ers fumbled the following kickoff, which the Packers recovered to seal the sport.
2012 NFC divisional spherical: 49ers win 45-31 in San Francisco
It might have been the playoff matchup of the 2005 NFL Draft, with Northern California child Aaron Rodgers returning to the Bay to face the quarterback the 49ers first total took as an alternative of him, Alex Smith. However 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh inserted Colin Kaepernick as his starter earlier within the season when Smith suffered a concussion and stored Kaepernick even when Smith was wholesome, a choice that paid off on this efficiency. Kaepernick ran for 181 yards — a then-49ers file for many dashing yards in a postseason recreation and nonetheless the NFL file for many dashing yards by a quarterback in a recreation — and two touchdowns and threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns (each to Michael Crabtree) in a shootout. Frank Gore added 119 yards dashing and a landing in a 579-yard night time for the 49ers offense. After the win, the 49ers went on the street and beat Atlanta to get to their first Tremendous Bowl since 1994, however misplaced Tremendous Bowl XLVII 34-31 to the Ravens within the matchup between the Harbaugh brothers.
2013 NFC wild-card spherical: 49ers win 23-20 in Inexperienced Bay
The 49ers had been actually probably the greatest groups within the NFL this yr, however so was NFC West rival Seattle. The Seahawks completed at 13-3, one recreation forward of the 49ers, which means San Francisco must head to Inexperienced Bay to face the 8-7-1 NFC North champion Packers. With game-time temperature at 5 levels round kickoff at Lambeau, the 49ers and Packers battled in a good one, and a late Mason Crosby subject aim tied the sport at 20 with 5:06 left. However led by Kaepernick and Frank Gore, the 49ers went on a game-sealing 14-play, 65-yard drive to complete out the remainder of the clock and arrange a game-ending Phil Dawson 33-yard subject aim. Kaepernick shone once more, throwing for 227 yards (125 of them to Crabtree) and dashing for 98 on simply seven carries. Phil Dawson made all 5 of his kicks on the day (two further factors, three subject objectives). The 49ers would observe this recreation up with one other street win over the Panthers earlier than falling to the Seahawks within the NFC Championship.
2019 NFC Championship: 49ers win 37-20 in Santa Clara
After years of ineptitude within the post-Harbaugh period, Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers took the bits of promise they'd proven in his first two seasons in cost and turned all of it the way in which round, ending the 2019 common season as the highest staff within the NFC at 13-3 — which included a 37-8 demolishing of the Packers at Levi’s Stadium. After dispatching the Vikings handily within the divisional spherical, the Packers held off the Seahawks to arrange one other matchup between Rodgers and the staff who spurned him. However this recreation ended up being all about San Francisco’s dashing assault, as Raheem Mostert broke Kaepernick’s 49ers file with 220 yards dashing and 4 touchdowns. As a staff, the 49ers completed with 42 carries for 285 yards and noticed Jimmy Garoppolo solely try eight passes as they pummeled the Packers once more and went to their seventh Tremendous Bowl. The 49ers would maintain a 20-10 lead after three quarters in Miami, however the Chiefs scored thrice to stun San Francisco 31-20 in Tremendous Bowl LIV.