| 49ers–Packers rivalry | |
| Team1: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Team2: | Green Bay Packers |
| Team1logo: | San_Francisco_49ers_Saloon_Wordmark.svg |
| Team2logo: | Green Bay Packers wordmark.svg |
| First Contested: | November 26, 1950 Packers 25, 49ers 21 |
| Mostrecent: | January 20, 2024 49ers 24, Packers 21 |
| Nextmeeting: | November 24, 2024 |
| Total: | 72 |
| Largestvictory: | 49ers, 35–0 (1954) |
| Currentstreak: | 49ers, 2 (2022–present) |
| Longeststreak: | Packers, 8 (1999–2010) |
| Series: | Packers, 38–34–1 |
| Regularseason: | Packers, 34–28–1 |
| Postseason: | 49ers, 6–4
|
| Map Alt: | Map of America showing the location of San Francisco, California and Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| Section Header: | Championship Success |
| Section Info: | NFL Championships (18)
Super Bowls won (9) |
| Map Location: | United States |
| Coordinates2: | 44.5°N -92°W |
The 49ers–Packers rivalry is an American football rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. As the 49ers play in the NFC West, and the Packers play in the NFC North, both teams do not play every year; instead, they play once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium due to the NFL's rotating division schedules during which their divisions are paired up. Additionally, not only both teams could meet in the playoffs, but also if they finish in the same place in their respective divisions, they would play the ensuing season.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The rivalry became prominent during the 1990s, as the Brett Favre-led Packers defeated the Steve Young-led 49ers in three of four playoff meetings.[6] In the 2005 NFL draft, the 49ers selected Alex Smith with the first overall selection, passing on northern California native Aaron Rodgers; Green Bay later selected Rodgers with the 24th pick. Since Rodgers became the Packers' starter in 2008, the Packers and 49ers met in the playoffs five times, four with Rodgers, though the 49ers have won all five of these meetings.[7] [8]
The Packers lead the all-time series 38–34–1. The teams have met ten times in the playoffs, with the 49ers leading 6–4.[9]
See main article: History of the Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers were founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun.[10] After a few years of playing local teams, the Packers entered the National Football League (NFL) in 1921.[11] Between 1929 and 1944, the Packers dominated the NFL, winning six championships and reaching the playoffs two other times. The advent of the forward pass under coach Curly Lambeau and wide receiver Don Hutson revolutionized the way football was played.[12] After the retirement of Hutson and the eventual departure of Lambeau to the Chicago Cardinals, the Packers experienced poor results from 1945 to 1949.[13]
See main article: History of the San Francisco 49ers. The San Francisco 49ers were founded in 1946 by businessman Tony Morabito in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), a newly formed rival to the NFL. The 49ers competed in the Western Division of the AAFC from 1946 to 1948. Each season, they came in second place in the division behind the Cleveland Browns. In 1949, after the AAFC was reduced to seven teams, the league implemented a single division and used the Shaughnessy system to determine who made the playoffs. The 49ers again came in second behind the Browns, but with the new system were able to make the four-team playoffs. They defeated the New York Yankees 17 - 7 in the semifinal but lost to the Browns in the championship game 21 - 7. After the season, the NFL and AAFC completed a merger, with the Browns and Indianapolis Colts joining the 49ers as new teams in the NFL (the Los Angeles Dons merged with the Los Angeles Rams while the three other AAFC teams folded).
The 49ers and Packers emerged as rivals during the mid-1990s, playing in four consecutive playoff games. During this period, the 49ers were led by Steve Young and Jerry Rice, while the Packers featured Brett Favre as its offensive leader, and Reggie White as its defensive anchor. The two teams' head coaches came from the Bill Walsh coaching tree, with 49ers head coach George Seifert having served under Walsh as a defensive coordinator, and Packers head coach Mike Holmgren having served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Both were on Walsh's staff when the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIII in 1988, and Holmgren served on Seifert's staff when the 49ers repeated as champions in Super Bowl XXIV following the 1989 season. Before the 1992 season, Holmgren was hired as the Packers' head coach, and acquired Favre from the Atlanta Falcons.[14]
Their first postseason encounter came in the 1995 Divisional Round. The 49ers entered the game as defending Super Bowl champions. In that game, the Packers jumped out to a 21–0 lead en route to a 27–17 victory at Candlestick Park. While Favre threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Young completed 32 of a record 65 pass attempts for 328 yards, with two interceptions and three sacks.[15] The two teams met again in the 1996 Divisional Round, with Green Bay also winning the game 35–14 en route to claiming Super Bowl XXXI. This game was notorious for muddy conditions at Lambeau Field following a torrent of rain and snow. In a defensive battle, it was special teams player and eventual Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard who stole the show, with a 71-yard punt return touchdown and a 46-yard return to set up another Packers touchdown. After this game, Seifert left the 49ers, and former Packers assistant Steve Mariucci took over as head coach.[16]
Muddy field conditions and torrential rain also played a key role when the 49ers and Packers met for a third straight postseason in the 1997 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park. This game, which the Packers won 23–10 en route to a losing effort in Super Bowl XXXII, saw Favre complete a touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the second quarter to give the Packers a lead they never relinquished.[16] But perhaps the most defining moment of the rivalry came in the 1998 Wild Card Round. Late in the fourth quarter, with the 49ers trailing 27–23, Young drove 76 yards to set up Terrell Owens' game-winning touchdown catch. This moment became known as The Catch II, in homage to a similar play in the 1981 NFC Championship Game. This was also the only time Young defeated Favre in the playoffs, and was also Favre's only career loss to San Francisco as a Packer.[16]
The final playoff meeting involving Brett Favre came in the 2001 Wild Card Round. With the Packers trailing at home 7–6 entering the second half, Favre completed 16 of 21 passes for 226 yards, and led the Packers to four scoring drives. The last of those drives saw Ahman Green run nine yards for the game-sealing touchdown.[16]
The rivalry between the two teams reignited during the 2005 NFL draft. After the 49ers finished 2–14 in the 2004 season, they received the top overall pick in the draft. This draft featured two top quarterback prospects in Alex Smith and northern California native Aaron Rodgers, who grew up rooting for the 49ers and idolizing Joe Montana. In an infamous draft moment, the 49ers passed on Rodgers and selected Smith with the first pick. Meanwhile, Rodgers had to wait until the Packers selected him with the 24th overall pick.[17] While Smith immediately became the starter for the 49ers, Rodgers backed up Favre for three seasons before becoming the Packers' starting quarterback in 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, Rodgers defeated Smith in two of three regular season encounters, before Smith was eventually traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.
During the Brett Favre era, the Packers dominated the 49ers, with Favre having an 11–1 record against them (with the only loss being the aforementioned 1998 Wild Card game). During the Aaron Rodgers era, however, the 49ers had more success against the Packers, as Rodgers is 6–7 all-time against the 49ers (including an 0–4 playoff record). This is stark contrast with the Cowboys–Packers rivalry, where Favre went 2–9 against Dallas while Rodgers sports an 8–2 record against Dallas.
The 49ers and Packers renewed their playoff rivalry in the 2012 Divisional Round. This game saw the playoff debut of Colin Kaepernick, and he rewarded the home fans with a quarterback playoff record 181 rushing yards, 263 passing yards and four touchdowns. This marked the final playoff game at Candlestick Park.[18] [19] The following season, a rematch took place in Green Bay during the 2013 Wild Card Round. Despite the chilly conditions at Lambeau Field, the 49ers prevailed in a close-knit affair 23–20, with Phil Dawson scoring the game-winning field goal. Kaepernick ran for 98 yards and threw 227 yards. This was San Francisco's first playoff road victory over Green Bay.[20] The 49ers and Packers also faced off in the 2019 NFC Championship Game, with running back Raheem Mostert scoring four touchdowns on 220 rushing yards.[21] This game also featured two coaches who were fourth-generation descendants to the Bill Walsh coaching tree, as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur both served under Kyle's father Mike Shanahan, who in turn succeeded Mike Holmgren as the 49ers' offensive coordinator under George Seifert.[22] [14]
Two years after the 2019 NFC Championship, the two teams met again in the 2021 Divisional Round. While the Packers entered the contest as the NFC's top seed, the sixth-seeded 49ers beat the Packers in a low-scoring contest, 13–10. The game's turning point saw the 49ers' special teams score a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter following a blocked punt on Packers punter Corey Bojorquez, and in the closing seconds, placekicker Robbie Gould kicked the game-winning field goal.[23] This dropped Rodgers' playoff record against the 49ers to 0–4.
The two teams met again two years later in the 2023 Divisional Round for the record 10th playoff meeting with two new quarterbacks, Jordan Love for the Packers and Brock Purdy for the 49ers.[24] [25] [26] The Packers had won against the teams' fellow rival Dallas Cowboys in the previous round, becoming the first 7 seed to win a playoff game against the 2 seed.[27] [28] [29] [30] [31] Despite falling behind 21-14, the 49ers came back on their final drive to win 24-21, capped off with an interception by Dre Greenlaw off a pass by Love on Green Bay’s final possession to end the close contest. The 49er victory sent them to their third consecutive NFC Championship Game and extended their playoff win streak to 5 against the Packers.[32]
As of the 2023 NFL season, the 49ers and Packers have played in a combined 13 Super Bowls. Each team's overall record and playoff success are provided in the table below.
| Team | NFL Titles | Conference Titles | Divisional Titles | Wild Card Berths | Playoff Appearances | NFL Title Game Appearances | Super Bowl Appearances | All-time Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 8 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 8 | [33] | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 9 | 21 | 8 | 35 | 11 | 5 | [34] | ||
| Combined | 18 | 17 | 44 | 14 | 64 | 11 | 13 |
The 49ers and Packers have played each other 73 times, with the Packers leading the all-time series 38–34–1. The Packers lead the all-time series 22–11 when they are the home team, while the 49ers lead the all-time series 17–12–1 when they are the home team. The 49ers and Packers have played each other ten times in the postseason, with the 49ers leadings the playoff series 6–4.[35] The following game results are up-to-date as of the end of the 2023 regular season.|-! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width: 15%;"| | style=" width: 15%;"| Packers
25–21| style="width: 20%;"| City Stadium| style="width: 10%;"| Packers
1–0| style="text-align:left;" | First meeting at City Stadium|-| style="| 49ers
30–14| Kezar Stadium| Tied
1–1| style="text-align:left;" | First meeting at Kezar Stadium|-! scope="col"| | style="| 49ers
31–19| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
2–1||- ! scope="col"| | style="| 49ers
24–14| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
3–1||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| 49ers
37–7| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
4–1| style="text-align:left;"| First meeting at Milwaukee County Stadium|-| style="| 49ers
48–14| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
5–1| |-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| 49ers
23–17| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
6–1||-| style="| 49ers
35–0| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
7–1||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
27–21| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
7–2||-| style="| Packers
28–7| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
7–3||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| 49ers
17–16| City Stadium| 49ers
8–3| style="text-align:left;" | Final meeting at City Stadium|-| style="| 49ers
38–20| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
9–3| |-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| 49ers
24–14| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
10–3||-| style="| 49ers
27–20| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
11–3||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| 49ers
33–12| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
12–3||-| style="| 49ers
48–21| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
13–3||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
21–20| Lambeau Field| 49ers
13–4| style="text-align:left;" | First meeting at Lambeau Field (then called New City Stadium)|-| style="| Packers
36–14| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
13–5| |-|-! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width: 15%;"| | style=" width: 15%"| Packers
41–14| style="width: 20%;"| Milwaukee County Stadium| style="width: 10%;"| 49ers
13–6||-| style="| Packers
13–0| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
13–7| style="text-align:left;" | Packers lose 1960 NFL Championship|-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
30–10| Lambeau Field| 49ers
13–7||-| style="| 49ers
22–21| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
14–8| style="text-align:left;" | Packers win 1961 NFL Championship|-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
31–13| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
14–9||-| style="| Packers
31–21| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
14–10| style="text-align:left;" | Packers win 1962 NFL Championship|-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
28–10| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
14–11||-| style="| Packers
21–17| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
14–12||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
24–14| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
14–13||-| style="| 49ers
24–14| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
15–13||-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
27–10| Lambeau Field| 49ers
15–14||-| Tie
24–24| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
15–14–1| style="text-align:left;" | Packers win 1965 NFL Championship|-! scope="col" rowspan="2"| | style="| Packers
20–7| Milwaukee County Stadium| Tied
15–15–1||-| style="| 49ers
21–20| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
16–15–1| style="text-align:left;" | Packers win 1966 NFL Championship and Super Bowl I|-! scope="col" | | style="| Packers
13–0| Lambeau Field| Tied
16–16–1| style="text-align:left;" | Packers win 1967 NFL Championship and Super Bowl II|-! scope="col" | | style="| 49ers
27–20| Kezar Stadium| 49ers
17–16–1||-! scope="col" | | style="| Packers
14–7| Milwaukee County Stadium| Tied
17–17–1||-|-! style="width: 15%;" scope="col" | | style=" width: 15%| 49ers
26–10| style="width: 20%;" | Kezar Stadium| style="width: 10%;" | 49ers
18–17–1||-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
34–24| Milwaukee County Stadium| Tied
18–18–1||-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
20–6| Candlestick Park| 49ers
19–18–1| style="text-align:left;" | First meeting at Candlestick Park|-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
7–6| Candlestick Park| 49ers
20–18–1||-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
26–14| Lambeau Field| 49ers
21–18–1||-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
16–14| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
21–19–1||-|-! style="width: 15%;" scope="col" | | style=" width: 15%"| Packers
23–16| style="width: 20%;" | Milwaukee County Stadium| style="width: 10%;" | 49ers
21–20–1| |-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
13–3| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
22–20–1| style="text-align:left;" | 49ers win Super Bowl XVI|-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
31–17| Milwaukee County Stadium| 49ers
23–20–1| style="text-align:left;" | Last meeting at Milwaukee County Stadium|-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
23–12| Lambeau Field| 49ers
24–20–1||-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
21–17| Candlestick Park| 49ers
24–21–1| style="text-align:left;" | 49ers win Super Bowl XXIV.|-|-! style="width: 15%;" scope="col" | | style=" width: 15%"| 49ers
24–20| style="width: 20%;" | Lambeau Field| style="width: 10%;" | 49ers
25–21–1| style="text-align:left;" | |-! scope="col" |1995 playoffs| style="| Packers
27–17| Candlestick Park| 49ers
25–22–1| style="text-align:left;" | NFC Divisional Round|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
| Lambeau Field| 49ers
25–23–1| style="text-align:left;" | Packers win Super Bowl XXXI.|- ! scope="col" |1996 playoffs| style="| Packers
35–14| Lambeau Field| 49ers
25–24–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Divisional Round|-! scope="col" |1997 playoffs| style="| Packers
23–10| 3Com Park| Tied
25–25–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Championship Game; Packers lose Super Bowl XXXII|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
36–22| Lambeau Field| Packers
26–25–1| style="text-align:left;" ||-! scope="col" |1998 playoffs| style="| 49ers
30–27| 3Com Park| Tied
26–26–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Wild Card Round (Game known as The Catch II)|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
20–3| 3Com Park| Packers
27–26–1| |-|-! style="width: 15%;" scope="col" | | style=" width: 15%"| Packers
31–28| style="width: 20%;" | Lambeau Field| style="width: 10%;" | Packers
28–26–1||-! scope="col" |2001 playoffs| style="| Packers
25–15| Lambeau Field| Packers
29–26–1| style="text-align:left;" | NFC Wild Card Round|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
20–14| 3Com Park| Packers
30–26–1| |-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
20–10| Lambeau Field| Packers
31–26–1| |-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
30–19| Monster Park| Packers
32–26–1||-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
30–24| Lambeau Field| Packers
33–26–1||-|-! style="width: 15%;" scope="col" | | style=" width: 15%"| Packers
34–16| style="width: 20%;" | Lambeau Field| style="width: 10%;" | Packers
34–26–1| style="text-align:left;" |Packers win eight straight meetings, win Super Bowl XLV|-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
30–22| Lambeau Field| Packers
34–27–1| style="text-align:left;" | 49ers lose Super Bowl XLVII|-! scope="col" |2012 playoffs| style="| 49ers
45–31| Candlestick Park| Packers
34–28–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Divisional Round|-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
34–28| Candlestick Park| Packers
34–29–1| |-! scope="col" |2013 playoffs| style="| 49ers
23–20| Lambeau Field| Packers
34–30–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Wild Card Round|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
17–3| Levi's Stadium| Packers
35–30–1| style="text-align:left;" |First meeting at Levi's Stadium|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
33–30| Lambeau Field| Packers
36–30–1| |-! scope="col" || style="| 49ers
37–8| Levi's Stadium| Packers
36–31–1| style="text-align:left;" | 49ers lose Super Bowl LIV|-! scope="col" |2019 playoffs| style="| 49ers
37–20| Levi's Stadium| Packers
36–32–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Championship Game|-|-! style="width: 15%;" scope="col" | | style=" width: 15%"| Packers
34–17| style="width: 20%;" | Levi's Stadium| style="width: 10%;" | Packers
37–32–1| style="text-align:left;" |No fans in attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic|-! scope="col" || style="| Packers
30–28| Levi's Stadium| Packers
38–32–1| |-! scope="col" |2021 playoffs| style="| 49ers
13–10| Lambeau Field| Packers
38–33–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Divisional Round|-! 2023 playoffs| style="| 49ers
24–21| Levi's Stadium| Packers
38–34–1| style="text-align:left;" |NFC Divisional Round; was the NFL record 10th postseason meeting between the two teams[36] |-|-! Regular season| style="|| Packers 22–11| 49ers 17–12–1| |-! Postseason| style="|| Tied 2–2| 49ers 4–2| style="text-align:left;" | NFC Wild Card playoffs: 1998, 2001, 2013
NFC Divisional playoffs: 1995, 1996, 2012, 2021, 2023
NFC Championship Game: 1997, 2019|-! Regular and postseason | style="|| Packers 24–13| 49ers 21–14–1| |-