Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers Divisional Playoff Preview

This Saturday evening, the Green Bay Packers will take on the San Francisco 49ers to see who will move on to the NFC Championship game. It's an interesting matchup between two teams that are capable of scoring a lot of points. 

Who has the edge in this game? Let's break it down. 

The Green Bay Packers are coming into this game fresh off a nice home victory against the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay's defense stepped up, holding Adrian Peterson to under 100 yards, which no one thought they'd be able to do. 

Yes, Joe Webb playing QB allowed the Pack to stack the box, but having such an excellent performance will without a doubt give their defense a much needed confidence boost. Clay Matthews is playing well and will need to give a great performance if they want to contain 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick. 

Green Bay's offense is going to be the key in this one. San Francisco has an excellent defense, one that is capable of holding the Packer's offense in check. Aaron Rodgers can't allow that to happen.

Justin Smith is still reeling from a tricep injury, which should definitely help the Packers cause in the passing game. And with DuJuan Harris finally giving Green Bay a semblance of a running game, the passing game should open up. 

Rodgers is looking great as of late and you can bet they'll be running a lot of play-action fakes to try and keep the 49ers honest and not peel their ears back.

Will the 49ers defense be able to hold up, or at least not force the offense to have to get involved in a shootout? 

In this one, my money's on the road team. Colin Kapernick is a good QB, but he's inexperienced in the playoffs and has a lot of pressure on him. You can bet he'll have a crucial turnover and not be able to put up enough points to win the game.  

Maybe Frank Gore will run all over the Green Bay defense as Peterson did in Week 17, but that's unlikely. The Packers are a veteran squad when it comes to the post-season. They'll find a way to get it done in a close, thrilling game, similar to the 49ers' victory in the playoffs last year over New Orleans. 

Final score: Packers win, 34-30. 

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