The 49ers and Packers are no strangers to playoff matchups. Saturday’s 5:15pm kickoff at Levi’s Stadium will be the 10th ever postseason meeting between the two clubs.
More notably it’ll be their sixth meeting this century and fifth since the 2012 season.
Green Bay dominated early on in the seemingly annual 49ers-Packers playoff matchups. They faced off in every postseason from 1995 through 1998. San Francisco only won one of those meetings though.
It’s been the 49ers’ turn to dominate over the last 20 years though. They haven’t lost a playoff game to the Packers since a 25-15 wild card loss in the 2001 season, and they’ve won the last four postseason matchups.
Here’s a quick rundown of the previous nine playoff showdowns between the 49ers and Packers:
Jan. 6, 1996: Divisional round
The first ever playoff matchup began with a game-swinging play for the 49ers when they blocked kicker Chris Jacke’s 44-yard field goal attempt. Then disaster struck.
49ers RB Adam Walker fumbled on the first offensive play for San Francisco and it was returned 31 yards for a touchdown by Packers CB Craig Newsome.
San Francisco went three-and-out on its next drive, and Packers QB Brett Favre led a five-play scoring drive on Green Bay’s next series to take a 14-0 lead. After another 49ers punt, the Packers needed only six plays to score again and effectively end the game with a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The heavily favored 49ers never really climbed back into the game and they lost badly at home. Oddly enough, they were 9.5-point favorites in that game, which is the same number they’re favored by Saturday.
Final score: Packers 27, 49ers 17
Jan. 4, 1997: Divisional round
One year later it was the Packers’ turn to host the 49ers at Lambeau Field, and this time they were five-point favorites.
Once again Green Bay jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Their first score came on a punt return touchdown by Desmond Howard. Their second touchdown was set up by a long Howard punt return that gave them the ball at the 49ers’ 7. Their third TD was set up by an interception from Newsome that set the Packers up deep in the red zone.
49ers QB Steve Young left the game after two series after entering the game with broken ribs. Backup Elvis Grbac back in the game with a TD pass to RB Terry Kirby late in the second quarterback, then a touchdown run early in the third quarter to make it 21-14.
Green Bay put the game away with a couple more TDs and the Grbac magic ran out, giving the Packers a second postseason win over San Francisco in as many years.
Final score: Packers 35, 49ers 14
Jan. 11, 1998: NFC championship game
The Packers defense dominated the first NFC championship matchup between these two clubs. They managed only two offensive touchdowns, but their defense held the 49ers’ offense in check.
San Francisco’s lone TD came on a kickoff return from RB Chuck Levy late in the fourth quarter. Prior to that it was all Green Bay. They kicked a field goal on their first offensive possession.
A couple series later is when the game flipped. The 49ers were nearing the red zone, but Young threw an interception to safety Eugene Robinson who took it all the way back to the 49ers’ 28. Two plays later Favre hit WR Antonio Freeman for a 27-yard touchdown.
The 49ers were within shouting distance until Packers RB Dorsey Levens scored from five yards out late in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Levy’s TD came on the ensuing kickoff, but it was far too little far too late. Young and the 49ers managed just 257 yards of total offense and turned it over twice in the loss.
Final score: Packers 23, 49ers 3
Jan. 3rd, 1999: Wild card playoffs
Hey, the 49ers won this one! A touchdown catch from TE Greg Clark put San Francisco ahead 7-3 at 3Com Park, marking the first time the 49ers had ever led against the Packers in the postseason.
This was a wild game where San Francisco benefitted from a lack of replay review on a Jerry Rice fumble that was not called. And then eventually this happened:
What a moment to give the 49ers their first ever playoff win over Green Bay.
Final score: 49ers 30, Packers 27
Jan. 13, 2002: Wild card playoffs
The Packers had to wait a few years to get their revenge for the wild card loss in San Francisco.
Green Bay got on the board first with a Favre pass to Freeman, but kicker Ryan Longwell missed the extra point, which led to some weird scoring.
San Francisco took a lead on a Garrison Hearst touchdown run late in the second quarter to give the visitors a 7-6 halftime lead.
Green Bay owned the third quarter with a field goal and a Favre TD pass to TE Bubba Franks that pushed their lead to 15-7 going into the fourth quarter.
49ers QB Jeff Garcia opened the fourth quarter with a strong TD drive. He went three-for-four for 48 yards, including a 14-yard TD pass to WR Tai Streets. San Francisco tied the game with another throw to Streets on the two-point conversion.
That was the last time the 49ers would score though. Green Bay retook the lead on the drive after the touchdown with a Longwell field goal, and then Garcia threw an interception in Packers territory that helped set up a 93-yard Packers TD drive capped off by an Ahman Green TD run that put the home team up 10. To add insult to injury, the 49ers fumbled the kickoff after the TD, Green Bay recovered, and any last gasp of life San Francisco had was extinguished. It was another playoff defeat for the 49ers at the hands of the Packers.
Final score: Packers 25, 49ers 15
Jan. 12, 2013: Divisional round
49ers QB Colin Kapernick took the NFL by storm in 2012 when he took over for Alex Smith midway through the season. His playoff debut in the divisional round at home vs. the Packers couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start though. He threw a pick-six to Packers CB Sam Shields on San Francisco’s first offensive series.
That would be the last big mistake Kaepernick would make on his record-setting night.
He notched a 20-yard touchdown run on the 49ers’ ensuing drive to tie the game, but Green Bay responded a couple drives later with a seven-play, 80-yard TD drive to go ahead 14-7.
The 49ers were unable to match the Packers’ score and had to punt on the ensuing possession. It looked like a prime opportunity for Green Bay to go up two scores on a team that relied so heavily on its run game. Punt returner Jeremy Ross muffed Andy Lee’s punt though and 49ers CB Chris Culliver recovered at the Packer’s 9. Three plays later Kaepernick hit WR Michael Crabtree for a 12-yard TD to tie the game at 14.
It was back and forth from there. The 49ers went up 21-14, but the Packers tied it. San Francisco took a 24-21 lead, but the Packers tied it.
Once Kaepernick raced in from 56 yards out to take a 31-24 lead though the rout was on. Green Bay never scored again, and the 49ers offense would tack on a couple more scores to pull out what was then a rare postseason victory over the Packers.
Kaepernick wound up rushing for an NFL QB postseason record 181 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns in a stellar playoff debut.
Final score: 49ers 45, Packers 24
Jan. 5, 2014: Wild card playoffs
The 49ers were far better than the Packers in the regular season in the 2013 season, but the Packers at 8-7-1 won their division to host the 12-4 49ers on a frigid night at Lambeau Field.
San Francisco looked dominant through their first two series on each side of the ball. The Packers ran six plays for 3 yards, while the 49ers ran 24 plays for 111 yards. Still, San Francisco led only 6-0 after settling for a pair of field goals.
The Packers on their third drive went backwards again with -2 yards on three plays. It looked like San Francisco was on its way in for another score when Kaepernick threw an interception to Packers CB Tramon Williams. Green Bay had life and took advantage of the turnover with a go-ahead touchdown on a 14-play, 70-yard drive.
The lead didn’t last long with the 49ers punching in a touchdown on their next drive, and Green Bay closed the half with a field goal to make it a 13-10 49ers lead at the break.
In the second half the teams traded touchdowns, and the Packers tied the game at 20 with a field goal with 5:09 left to go.
That put the game squarely on Kaepernick and the 49ers’ offense, and they nearly blew it. On a second-and-10 early in the drive, Kaepernick tried to hit WR Anquan Boldin, but Packers DB Micah Hyde was all over him for what should’ve been an easy interception. Hyde’s drop of the errant throw turned out to be a death knell for the Packers. Kaepernick didn’t make another mistake and the 49ers bled the entire 5:09 with Phil Dawson thumping through a game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired to give San Francisco their first ever playoff win at Lambeau Field.
Final score: 49ers 23, Packers 20
Jan. 19, 2020: NFC championship
Short write-up here because everyone reading this knows how this one went.
Raheem Mostert ran through the Packers to the tune of 220 yards and four touchdowns. The 49ers led 27-0 at halftime, and then took a 34-7 lead shortly after the Packers tried climbing back into the game with a touchdown.
A Robbie Gould field goal made it 37-20 with 3:36 to go, which effectively iced the game, but a Richard Sherman interception on the ensuing drive put the final nail in the coffin for the 49ers’ third consecutive playoff win against their postseason rival.
Final score: 49ers 37, Packers 20
Jan. 22, 2022: Divisional round
In the previous nine playoff meetings between the 49ers and Packers, there hadn’t been any particularly weird games.
This divisional matchup in 2022 filled that void.
It was another snowy, cold night at Lambeau Field and neither offense ever got anything going. Green Bay got a rushing touchdown from AJ Dillon its first drive to go ahead 7-0.
They traded punts and turnovers until late in the first half. A Jimmy Garoppolo interception gave the Packers the ball at their own 4 with 56 seconds to go. Then disaster struck. Rodgers found RB Aaron Jones wide open down the right sideline, and the RB took off for what looked like a miracle TD to close the half, but 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt made an unbelievable hustle play to track the RB down at the 49ers’ 14.
That tackle by Tartt forced Green Bay to try a field goal that was blocked by 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward with an assist from DE Jordan Willis (more on him later).
To open the second half the 49ers squeezed out a field goal that cut the Packers lead to 7-3. The teams traded punts, but then Green Bay broke through for another field goal that gave them a 10-3 lead.
After stifling the 49ers on a fourth-and-1 deep in Packers territory, Green Bay had a chance to take a commanding two-score lead. Instead, disaster struck for the home team. The 49ers defense forced a punt that Willis blocked. Rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga grabbed the ball off the snowy turf and raced in for what would be the 49ers’ only touchdown of the game. It was tied in Green Bay.
The 49ers forced another punt on the ensuing Green Bay drive, and then their offense went to work. With 3:20 left it was a repeat of the wild card game a decade earlier. San Francisco bled the clock and on a key third-and-7 got a nine-yard run from WR Deebo Samuel to ensure they’d have a chance at a game-winning field goal.
Gould lined up for a 45-yard try and broke Packers fans hearts by drilling the kick as time expired.
The 49ers were on to the NFC championship, and they pushed their playoff record vs. the Packers to 5-4 all-time.
Final score: 49ers 13, Packers 10
