The No. 7 seeded Green Bay Packers (10-8) head west to battle the No. 1 seeded San Francisco 49ers (12-5) Saturday at 8:15 pm to determine which team will represent the NFC in its conference championship game next week.
The Packers advanced by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in their Wild Card matchup. Green Bay has now won four straight games after their 6-8 start to the season, securing the youngest team in the NFL a spot in the Divisional Round for the Packers’ seventh consecutive postseason berth.
The 49ers are looking to advance to the NFC Championship game for their seventh-consecutive postseason after posting the best record in the conference this season. San Francisco is led by a duo of MVP candidates this year in RB Christian McCaffrey and QB Brock Purdy.
Which team will advance to the NFC Championship game next Sunday? We’ll cover which players will make a difference along with our best bet for the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers facing off in their NFL Divisional Round playoff contest Saturday night.
QB Jordan Love UNDER 250.5 Passing Yards (Bet365)
After dealing QB Aaron Rodgers to New York this offseason, few Packers fans thought replacement QB Jordan Love would lead Green Bay to the postseason in 2023. Love surprised many NFL fans by completing 64 percent of his passes for 4,159 yards and 32 TDs against only 11 INTs during the regular season.
On the year, Love surpassed the 249.5 passing mark in half of his games and four of his last five outings. While the offense has clearly acclimated to Love’s throwing ability, the 49ers stingy defense is allowing only 214 passing yards per game to opponents. Expect San Francisco to limit Love and his Packers teammates to less than 250 passing yards Saturday.
Christian McCaffrey UNDER 34.5 Receiving Yards (BetRivers)
San Francisco relied on RB Christian McCaffrey to spur the team’s second-ranked offense this year. The eight-year veteran rushed for a career-best 1,459 rushing yards and 14 TDs in 16 games this season. Further, McCaffrey caught 67 passes for 564 yards and seven scores in 2023.
Against Green Bay, expect McCaffrey to be used primarily in the rushing game for the 49ers. The Packers are allowing over 128 yards rushing per contest, and McCaffrey had produced five straight games over 90 yards rushing prior to his injury against Washington in Week 17. Expect McCaffrey to be held under 32.5 receiving yards Saturday night and used more in the run game.
Aaron Jones UNDER 75.5 Rushing Yards (PointsBet)
In only 11 games this season, Green Bay RB Aaron Jones led his team with 656 rushing yards on 142 carries. The versatile back doubles as Love’s top target out of the backfield, securing 30 catches this season for 233 receiving yards. In total, Jones has scored four TDs in 2023.
Against the 49ers, Jones will find life extremely difficult. San Francisco has limited RBs to only 64 yards per game this season, and the 49ers’ defense has limited opponents to an average of under 90 yards per outing in 2023. Expect Jones to rush for less than 71.5 yards Saturday night to cover this player prop bet.
Best Bet: San Francisco (-9.5) (PointsBet)
San Francisco has been one of the strongest teams in the NFL this season as the team ranks among the top five in both total offense and defense. Although Green Bay has made strides this season, expect the Packers to fall significantly short in this Divisional Round matchup.
Oddsmakers could exceed a spread of 10 or more points before Saturday’s kick off. Let's go ahead and lay the points before that happens. Good luck!
