49ers vs. Packers: 5 Key Matchups

These matchups will determine the outcome of the game.

Grant Cohn | Jan 20, 2024

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San Francisco 49ers

Here are the top five matchups that will determine the winner between the 49ers and the Packers in the divisional playoffs.

1. WR Brandon Aiyuk vs. CB Jaire Alexander.

When the 49ers played the Packers in the playoffs two years ago, Jimmy Garoppolo threw Aiyuk one pass, he dropped it and Garoppolo never threw his way again. This season, Garoppolo is gone, Brock Purdy is the new quarterback and Aiyuk is his go-to guy. Which means the Packers will have to shadow him with their best cornerback, Jaire Alexander, who's questionable with an ankle injury.

Advantage: 49ers.

2. DE Nick Bosa vs. LT Rasheed Walker.

Walker is a first-year starter who has given up seven sacks this season -- Bosa should dominate him. But Bosa hasn't been a truly dominant player in more than a year. Last season, he had no sacks in the playoffs. The 49ers need more production from him.

Advantage: 49ers.

3. Colton McKivitz vs. Rashan Gary.

McKivitz gave up a whopping 12 sacks this season, and Gary recorded 9 himself. So the 49ers must avoid obvious passing situations as much as possible. Because if Gary knows the 49ers are passing, McKivitz will be in trouble.

Advantage: Packers.

4. Ambry Thomas vs. Romeo Doubs.

Charvarius Ward at times will shadow an opponent's No. 1 receiver, but the Packers don't have a clear-cut go-to guy. Technically, Doubs is their No. 1 receiver, but they spread the ball around so much, I doubt Ward will follow him. Which means the Packers most likely will try to match up Doubs with Ambry Thomas, who's coming back from hand surgery. Thomas had a good season, but he's still the weakest link in the 49ers secondary.

Advantage: Packers.

5. Jake Moody vs. the rain.

It's looking like it will rain throughout the game, and the last time Moody attempted a field goal in the rain, he missed it with the game on the line and the 49ers lost to the Browns. In the 49ers' regular season finale, Moody missed a 38-yarder and an extra point -- he could be rattled. And he could have to kick lots of field goals in this game if the offense can't move the ball effectively in the poor weather. The game could come down to him.

Advantage: Unknown.

Published Jan 20, 2024

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.