Top 4 teams to challenge 49ers for NFC crown in 2020
By Peter Panacy
49ers Challenger No. 4: Green Bay Packers
Based off the two games they played against each other last year, the Niners and Green Bay Packers would appear to be a lopsided affair. After all, San Francisco pummeled the Pack by a combined score of 74-28 in both their regular-season and NFC Championship games.
Yet one has to account for the fact the Packers went 13-3 in 2019 for a number of good reasons, even not getting the MVP-level play from quarterback Aaron Rodgers under then-first-year head coach Matt LaFleur.
Simply put, Green Bay didn’t “back into” that kind of record and the No. 2 NFC seed.
The Packers had a questionable offseason, yes, highlighted by two paths taken in this year’s NFL Draft: selecting Rodgers’ apparent long-term replacement, Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, and completely avoiding wide receivers in an otherwise deep and talented class.
It’s anyone’s guess if the latter hurts Green Bay this season. But selecting Love could ultimately light a massive fire under Rodgers, who’ll probably be hell-bent on proving to the Packers front office his seat atop the roster isn’t ready to be surrendered just yet.
Surely enough, the 49ers get to face off with the Packers again during another prime-time game, Week 9 on Thursday Night Football. And even with a victory, the Niners could see their hold on the conference fall away if Green Bay managers to put together another 13-win kind of season, which still isn’t out of the realm of possibility.