49ers set to Host Packers in NFC Championship Game
It's official. The San Francisco 49ers are set to host the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
Green Bay handled their business at home by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28-23 in a game that went down to the wire. Now they will have to quickly turn their attention for the toughest challenge of their season. The 49ers and Packers have already met once this season in week 12 on primetime Sunday night football.
The lead up to that matchup was extremely hyped up. However, the Packers did not match the hyped up intensity as they were embarrassed by the 49ers in front of the entire nation 37-8. The defense of San Francisco was just too much to handle for the Packers in the first go around.
Rodgers was sacked five times in that matchup as he struggled to ever get comfortbale to allow his receivers to fully complete their routes. He was pressured on practically every drop back, which is a major reason why the Packers were only able to put up eight points in the contest.
Surely, the Packers will want to get that bad taste out of their mouth by getting revenge on the 49ers. What better way to serve vengeance than by crushing the 49ers' Super Bowl dreams in front of their entire home crowd at Levi's Stadium. These two teams have an intense history with each other. From the crazy battles during Jim Harbaugh era, to all of the great duels in 1990s.
The last time the 49ers and Packers met in the NFC championship game was in 1997 at. Green Bay would win that matchup 23-10 to advance to the Super Bowl. Coincidentally, both teams were 14-3 going into the championship game.
Sunday's matchup will weigh heavily on Aaron Rodgers, who has not been in the Super Bowl since his first trip in 2011. Now he has the another shot to make amends for all the failed NFC title games. For all the times the 49ers have battered his teams in the playoffs from 2011-2014.
However, the 49ers will not just lay down. They are just as hungry, if not hungrier. Expect a dramatic and exciting matchup on Sunday when these two teams add to an already intense filled history.
