Next Up... San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco defeated Dallas in the "Slime"
game during the Wild Card round.
(2021 internet image)

  Usually a match between the  #1 seed and #6 weighs heavily in favor of the higher ranked team.

  After watching the 49ers run up and down the field on the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, this may be a case of being careful for what you wish.

  San Francisco has one of the best tight-ends and a wide receiver who is used as a runner on occasion with outstanding results.  

  Their defense is stout.  If Nick Bosa, who left with a head injury in Sunday's game isn't able to play against the Packers, that works in favor of Green Bay.

Since I last wrote about the Packers, a couple other injured players have made their way back to the practice field.  Anything that boosts our depth (speaking as a Packer shareholder) is good news in the post-season, and the guys who got us here have done a very good job backing up the front-liners.

Last season, Green Bay had home-field advantage for the play-offs, but without a stadium full of fans the advantage was diluted at best.  80,000 zealots will take this game to the next level in terms of intensity.

This season has been Super Bowl or Bust from the beginning.  General Manager Brian Gutekunst found ways to build the line-up, pulling rabbits out of a hat that paid off in unexpected ways (see Da' Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas).  The unvaccinated Aaron Rodgers has had another spectacular season and receiver Davante Adams is one of the best in the league; both could be playing their final season as Packers so there is serious motivation to win three more games.

Green Bay played in the last two NFC Championship games, falling short each time.  This season is about finishing the job, I expect the Packers to get things done in a tough game this weekend.