GREEN BAY, Wisc. (WLAX/WEUX) – After a wild game at AT&T Stadium in Dallas the San Francisco 49ers overcame the Dallas Cowboys 23-17 to punch their ticket to the NFC Divisional game where they will face the 13-4 Green Bay Packers. The Divisional game will be played Saturday, January 22 at 7:15 pm on FOX. For viewers in the La Crosse – Eau Claire areas your local FOX2548 will carry the Packers Divisional game as well as the NFC Championship game.
Green Bay Packer fans have been waiting anxiously to see who they would be playing after the Packers schedule earned them the number one seed and a bye past the wild card matchups. The 49ers are no strangers to the Packers in the playoffs as Matt LaFleur’s 13-3 Packers lost to the 49ers last season in the NFC Championship game in a crushing defeat where the 49ers were able to take control of the line and run the ball seemingly at will. The 2021-22 Packers do not seem like the same team as last year, however. With the addition of breakout players like De’Vondre Campbell at middle linebacker and Rasul Douglas at cornerback this Packers defense has felt revived and hungry following last years NFC Championship defeat.
Teams have not been able to run the ball against this Packers front seven like they have been able to in years past, and Douglas, signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad, has emerged as a breakout star playing an aggressive brand of defense jumping routes routinely and grabbing a team-high 5 interceptions this season – 2 of those for touchdowns. The Packers defense ranks 11th against the run, 13th against the pass, and 13th in total points allowed, and this has all been done with several injuries to key players namely the locker room favorite, Za’Darius Smith, and superstar corner, Jaire Alexander.
Packers fans will be hopeful entering the NFC Divisional game this Saturday with a much stronger defense and the return of both Smith and Alexander at crucial positions, as well as the return of Left Tackle, David Bakhtiari, arguably the best Left Tackle in the league. This Packers team is not the same team that lost to the 49ers last year, and this revenge matchup should be an instant classic at Lambeau Field Saturday, January 22.
