Now that the Cowboys have Cowboys'd, we know that the Packers are coming to Levi's Stadium on Saturday night.
There will be plenty of preview pieces that will be far more in-depth than what I'm presenting here, but I need to get something off my chest.
Why are people acting like the 49ers should be shaking in their boots?
The Packers were barely over .500 this year at 9-8. They didn't even win their own division. They're the seventh seed. Here's the list of quarterbacks that Green Bay has beaten this year:
Justin Fields
Derek Carr
Brett Rypien
Justin Herbert
Jared Goff
Patrick Mahomes
Bryce Young
Nick Mullens
Justin Fields again
Dak Prescott yesterday
That's not exactly a murderer's row.
Additionally, the Packers were under .500 on the road this season. They beat the Bears, Lions, Panthers, Vikings and now Cowboys away from Lambeau. Does that impress anyone?
They lost on the road to the Falcons with Desmond Ridder, the Raiders with Jimmy Garoppolo, the Broncos with Russell Wilson, the Steelers with Kenny Pickett, and the Giants with Tommy DeVito.
Has Jordan Love played well? Yes. He clearly has a lot of arm talent and is the biggest reason the Packers are where they are. But he's not even the best quarterback in this game, and he sure as hell isn't playing the Cowboys defense this week.
I'm not saying it's going to be easy. I'm not saying Love won't make a bunch of good plays. What I'm saying is that the 49ers are 9.5 point favorites for a reason. They've proven themselves against the best the NFC has to offer. They are rested and healthy. They've beaten Matt LaFleur in the playoffs multiple times when he's had a much better quarterback.
I'll let this great scene from Watchmen make my point for me:
The 49ers don't have to play the Packers. The Packers have to play the 49ers.
I'm curious about the role the weather will play in the game. Not only for Purdy and the slippery ball, but the field. The field at Levi's has never been great. Could turn into a mess. I just hope there are no injuries.
Well said, Stats! Plus, in contrast to the Cowboys, the 49ers have top tier linebackers. I don't see how the Packers will have as much success on the ground and will eventually become one-dimensional through the air.