2024 NFL playoffs: 49ers should wallop Packers in divisional round (because odds say so)

The 49ers have beaten the Packers four times in a row in the NFL playoffs dating back to 2012, and they should do so again, according to opening odds.

Way back in 2005, then-rookie quarterback Aaron Rodgers promised the San Francisco 49ers would regret not taking him at No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.

In a way, the Niners should have regretted it. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer with multiple league MVPs and a Super Bowl ring for the team that San Francisco will now face in the divisional round of the 2024 NFL playoffs, the Green Bay Packers.

Except Rodgers is no longer with the Packers after jettisoning himself to the New York Jets last offseason.

Rodgers, for all his accolades, never could beat the 49ers in the postseason, though. Dating back to 2012, the Niners are a perfect 4-0 against the Rodgers-era Packers, and they'll look to get off to a 1-0 streak in the postseason over Rodgers' heir apparent, quarterback Jordan Love.

Sure, Love and the Packers went on a tear in the second half of the regular season after starting 3-6, then finishing the year by winning six of their last eight. And then they dispatched the Dallas Cowboys in decisive fashion on Wild Card weekend 48-32 at AT&T Stadium.

As the No. 7 seed, Green Bay now officially visits San Francisco, which was on a first-round bye after securing the No. 1 seed in the conference.

The 49ers should smash the Packers with little issue.

49ers should easily beat Packers (and the odds back it up)

The Packers now travel on a short week, while quarterback Brock Purdy and the Niners are well rested. San Francisco is getting healthy again, too, as key starters like running back Christian McCaffrey, defensive tackle Arik Armstead and safety Tashaun Gipson are scheduled to return from injuries.

Pound for pound, the 49ers are the goliath. At home. With recent history on their side, which includes head coach Kyle Shanahan beating his opposite number, Matt LaFleur, twice in postseason play since 2020.

But, don't let those facts get in the way.

According to the oddsmakers at FanDuel, the Niners are opening up as 9.5-point favorites, which is significant for a postseason game. While it might be common for Super Bowl contenders to be at or near double-digit favorites against bad teams in a regular-season game, postseason bouts rarely get above a touchdown spread (except with the Buffalo Bills being -10 hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, of course).

The odds, the rosters and the history all suggest San Francisco won't have any issue with Green Bay this Saturday and will move on into the NFC Championship game a little less than two weeks from now.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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