A fitting opponent for what could be Aaron Rodgers’ last game for the Green Bay Packers.
The 38-year-old quarterback will face off Saturday night at Lambeau Field against the San Francisco 49ers.
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It will be the ninth postseason matchup between the two teams. Of course, they’re 4-4 in those games — the last three wins by San Francisco over Rodgers, including in 2019 to get to the Super Bowl.
The teams met earlier this season with Mason Crosby kicking a 51-yarder at the gun to win it 30-28 at San Francisco.
Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo played relatively even games, but the 49ers didn’t have any of their top running backs — relying on Trey Sermon, who entered with one career carry, which came the week before.
Looking back on those 2019 playoffs, it was Raheem Mostert’s 220 yards, 7.6-yards-per-carrry average and four touchdowns the 49ers used to destroy the Packers 37-20 and go to the Super Bowl. Mostert hasn’t rushed for 100 yards since.
The other 49ers-Packers playoff matchups are history but it was Colin Kaepernick’s legs that took out the Packers in both 2012 (a 23-20 win at Lambeau to go to the Super Bowl) and ’13 (a 45-31 Divisional win in San Francisco).
Kaepernick had over 440 yards of offense — 181 on the ground — in 2012 and over 320 yards of offense in 2013.
Rodgers played a fairly modest game by his standards in 2012 with 267 yards passing, two touchdowns and one interception. In 2013, Rodgers, in his ninth NFL season, had just 171 yards and a touchdown with no picks.
Green Bay won divisional rounds against the 49ers in 1995 and ’96. San Francisco won in ’97 and again in the wild-card in ’98 — on that Terrell Owens winning touchdown reception to end the game.
In 2001, it was Green Bay’s turn to win.
Green Bay has home field advantage with a 13-4 record as long as it keeps winning. The 49ers (10-7) upset the Dallas Cowboys 23-17 on Sunday.
The two winners of the NFC Divisional games will meet for the conference championship, with the highest-seeded team hosting, on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) talks with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) after an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game in San Francisco, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. The 49ers won 45-31. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)