While the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers have never been part of the same division, there's no getting around the fact that a massive rivalry still exists between these two historic franchises.
Including their first-ever matchup in 1950, the Niners and Packers have squared off 74 times over the last three-quarters of a century, with 10 of those contests taking place in the playoffs, the most matchups between any two teams in NFL postseason history. While Green Bay holds the overall lead in the series at 39-34-1, San Francisco has won six of the 10 playoff games, including each of the last five.
Given the nature of this longtime rivalry, many Niners fans naturally weren't overly thrilled on Thursday when the Packers sent shockwaves throughout the league by acquiring all-world edge rusher Micah Parsons, although the fact that the Dallas Cowboys are suffering a bit may have softened the blow for some of those same fans, given the longtime rivalry the 49ers also have with America's Team.
The Cowboys, though, were never viewed as a genuine contender to win Super Bowl 60 next February at Levi's Stadium, even before the Parsons deal went down. But the same can't be said about the Packers, who've been to the postseason in each of the past two years and had bolstered their roster even before bringing Micah to town.
But even with the improvements Green Bay had made before swindling Jerry Jones out of a generational talent, San Francisco, despite coming off a 6-11 season and suffering all sorts of injuries throughout training camp and the preseason, was still being given better odds to win Super Bowl 60 before the Parsons trade. In fact, up until Thursday, the 49ers had shorter odds since the day after Super Bowl 59.
On that day, February 10, DraftKings (which was used for everything you'll see below) had the Niners with the sixth-shortest odds among all 32 teams at +1500, with the Packers just behind in a tie for seventh at +1800.
On March 20, following the first big wave of free agency, San Francisco had dropped into a tie for seventh overall alongside the Cincinnati Bengals at +1900 but was still ahead of Green Bay, which dropped into a tie for ninth with the Los Angeles Rams at +2200.
And on April 27, the day after the conclusion of the draft, the 49ers had dipped below the Bengals in solo eighth at +2000 but still remained in front of the Packers, whose odds went unchanged at +2200, staying in a tie for ninth with the Rams. And that's pretty much how things stayed as the summer progressed.
Until Thursday, that is.
While the 49ers remain in solo eighth with the same +2000 odds they had four months ago, the Packers, in the immediate aftermath of the Parsons trade, vaulted past San Francisco and into the top five at +1200. Here's how the top 10 shakes out.
- Baltimore Ravens: +600
- Buffalo Bills: +600
- Philadelphia Eagles: +700
- Kansas City Chiefs: +850
- Green Bay Packers: +1200
- Detroit Lions: +1400
- Washington Commanders: +1900
- San Francisco 49ers: +2000
- Los Angeles Rams: +2200
- Denver Broncos: +2200
For those wondering, the Cowboys rank 21st overall and 12th in the NFC at +7000. So, while 49ers fans can't be happy about sitting behind the Packers for the first time all year, they can at least sleep well knowing America's Team doesn't even crack the top 20.