My Take -> NFC Divisional Round

Greetings, G-Force.

Two wins at Lambeau. One. Two. Protect home field. Head to LA to play for it all. Rise up!

As I write, I sip a Russian River Blind Pig. Hops. Fresh. Bursting. Oh, the glory. I listen to Xavier Rudd’s Spirit Bird album. It calms me.

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

Matt LaFleur played to win against the Lions. He wanted his team to be sharp. I applaud him. The team came away mostly unscathed. He kept Rodgers in rhythm. He got to see Love. LaFleur has to be pleased with the way things worked out regardless of the defeat.

Aaron Rodgers should undoubtedly be this years MVP.

Congrats, Davante.

Liked how Patrick Taylor hits the hole.

I’m not going to say that Jordan Love isn’t able to play QB in the NFL. But, I am going to say that he’s a long ways away from being ready to play QB in the NFL. I can live with the bad decisions at this stage, but the miss on the deep ball to ESB? That was brutal. He might’ve missed that throw by 5 yards. When you combine all of the factors, he’s nowhere near ready to be the starting QB.

This week - it’s the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round. Throughout the Favre years, the Packers owned SF in the playoffs. In the Rodgers era, the exact opposite is true. It’s time for the Packers to flip the pendulum.

I’m looking at match-ups, it’s my belief that the 49ers were the worst possible match-up for the Packers. Offensively, SF will commit to running the ball. Much like his Dad, Kyle Shanahan is ultra patient. He’s not intimidated by the scoreboard. He’s married to the run. Much like his Dad did in the Super Bowl on January 25, 1998 and much like he did in the 2019 NFCCG, I expect Kyle to run the ball at least 35 times. He will be calm as a play caller. 3rd and 6 might be a run down for him. 3rd and 8 might be the same.

The Packers are going to have to force Jimmy G into mistakes. Typically, Jimmy G gives a defense 2-3 opportunities to make a play. When the Packers get that opportunity, they must carpe diem.

For as oft-criticized as Jimmy G is, the guy is a competent QB who often makes big plays down the stretch. He’s a reliable WB with the game on the line. It’s mid-game where he makes his mistakes.

Defensively, the 49ers will be patient as well. They might show a lot of blitzes, but I don’t envision them allowing the Packers WR’s to make plays in man coverage. They’ll drop in coverage and rush 4. They’ll trust one of their dynamite front 4 pass rushers to make a play. They’ll test Rodgers’ willingness to throw the underneath crosser and the dump off to the RB or TE. They’ll make the Packers try to pick up 1st down yardage by breaking a tackle or getting yards after contact. I don’t envision SF giving the Packers anything over the top.

Patience. The ability to run the football. Turnovers. That’s the recipe. Those three items.

If Jaire is healthy, the Packers should have him shadow Deebo. When Deebo is out wide, Jaire is out wide. When Deebo is in the backfield, Jaire is 7 yards off the ball with all eyes on Deebo.

Because of Jimmy G and Shanahan’s ball magician work, it’s tough to trust your instincts. So much if their game plan is deception. They want you to flow one way and then they target the opposite side of the Field in the flat. The Packers must stay disciplined.

Amos should be coming on the blitz at least 7-10 times this weekend. In attack mode on the weak side. Amos has to be a difference maker.

The Packers must trust Stokes and Douglas to win on the outside against Jennings and Aiyuk.

Kittle will present a big problem. Kittle has been quiet recently. He won't be this weekend. Savage has struggled in coverage against TE’s this year. He will be in position to make a play. He must come through.

Have you ever tried to throw a ball in below zero temperatures? It’s extremely difficult. Only so much can be expected of Rodgers. The Packers will need to be the more physical team. They’ll need to wear down the SF front. Dillon and Jones must pound away. Then, it’s play action to Lazard in the flat. He will be the guy that SF will think they can stop. Lazard must deliver. If he can make a man miss, a big play might happen.

Look for the Packers to work extensively to have multiple rotations along the DL. They’ll want fresh legs from Gary, Preston, Za’Darius and Mercilus. Do not overlook the magnitude of Mercilus coming back. He was dynamite in the run game earlier this year.

It appears as though Bakhtiari and Turner will be the Tackles for the first time all year. I hope their conditioning is at 100%. They’ll need to protect Rodgers.

Deguara will be open on the underneath crossing route.

I’m expecting a big day from Aaron Jones. Potentially as a receiver on a wheel route.

Rodgers to Adams for a late TD.

The crowd rises. The defense gets the stop. The Packers are one step closer to lifting the Lombardi Trophy, once again.

Packers 24
49ers 20

Go Pack Go!

Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com