The San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers both passed their tests in the divisional round, albeit with different degrees of success. Will the 49ers eliminate Aaron Rodgers and company? Or will the Packers upset the top seed in the NFC? Going into the game the sportsbook favors the 49ers by 7-points, while they are listed at +140 to carry on and win Super Bowl 54.
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Betting Preview for the Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers NFL NFC Conference Championship Game on January 19, 2020
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
When: Sunday, January 19, 2020, 8:40 PM ET
Line: Green Bay Packers (+7) vs. San Francisco 49ers (-7) – view all 2020 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the Green Bay Packers (13-3)
The Packers survived a second-half onslaught by the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round and scored a 28-23 win at Lambeau Field last Sunday. Aaron Rodgers had 243 passing yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-27 completions while Aaron Jones rushed for 62 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It all boiled down to the Packers making a conversion when they need it the most. The Packers went 9 for 14 on third downs, with Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham playing critical roles downfield. Adams had 160 receiving yards and two touchdowns while Graham had 49 receiving yards on three catches. The two were held down to only 50 receiving yards combined in their 37-8 road loss to San Francisco in the regular season, so the challenge is to get give Rodgers more time in the pocket to find them. The defense also needs to step up as they allowed 339 total yards to San Francisco and nearly 40 points. The pair of Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith seems to have the answer to that after recording two sacks each in the win over Seattle.
The Packers are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five road games.
Betting on the San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
There are a lot of ways to describe San Francisco’s stop unit and scary is one of those, especially after crippling the Minnesota Vikings at home in the divisional round, 27-10. The 49ers made Kirk Cousins look like a cheap quarterback, laying him out six times for a loss of 46 yards for the Vikings. They also held Minnesota’s backfield to just 21 rushing yards on 10 carries. The 49ers’ pass rush is so great in cutting down the time for opposing quarterbacks to decide on what to do with the ball. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Arik Armstead, and DeForest Buckner can all fly from the line and into the opposing pocket in snap. That’s the kind of group that can neutralize the magic of Aaron Rodgers. It goes without saying that taking out Rodgers out of the equation would likely mean doom for the Packers, who ranked 10th in pass protection in the regular season, per DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average).
The 49ers are 3-1 ATS in their last four games as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
The 49ers win, 26-23.
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