.jpg) Aaron Rodgers (#12) of the Packers lining up againstPatrick Willis (#52) of the 49ers during a 2012 match-up | |
 San Francisco 49ers  Green Bay Packers | |
| Location | San Francisco,Green Bay |
|---|---|
| First meeting | November 26, 1950 Packers 25,49ers 21 |
| Latest meeting | November 24, 2024 Packers 38, 49ers 10 |
| Next meeting | TBD (no later than 2027 regular season) |
| Stadiums | 49ers:Levi's Stadium Packers:Lambeau Field |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 74 |
| All-time series | Packers: 39–34–1 |
| Regular season series | Packers: 35–28–1 |
| Postseason results | 49ers: 6–4 |
| Largest victory | 49ers: 35–0(1954) Packers: 38–10(2024) |
| Most points scored | 49ers: 48(1953),(1958) Packers: 41(1960) |
| Longest win streak | 49ers: 7 (1950–1954) Packers: 8 (1999–2010) |
| Current win streak | Packers: 1 (2024–present) |
| Post-season history | |
| |
  San Francisco 49ers Green Bay Packers | |
The49ers–Packers rivalry is anAmerican football rivalry between theSan Francisco 49ers and theGreen Bay Packers. As the 49ers play in theNFC West, and the Packers play in theNFC 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 theBrett Favre-led Packers defeated theSteve Young-led 49ers in three of four playoff meetings.[6] In the2005 NFL draft, the 49ers selectedAlex Smith with the first overall selection, passing on northern California nativeAaron 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 39–34–1. The teams have met ten times in the playoffs, with the 49ers leading 6–4.[9]
TheGreen Bay Packers were founded in 1919 byCurly Lambeau andGeorge Whitney Calhoun.[10] After a few years of playing local teams, the Packers entered theNational 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.[12] The advent of theforward pass under coach Curly Lambeau and wide receiverDon Hutson revolutionized the way football was played.[13] After the retirement of Hutson and the eventual departure of Lambeau to theChicago Cardinals, the Packers experienced poor results from 1945 to 1949.[12][14]
TheSan Francisco 49ers were founded in 1946 by businessmanTony Morabito in theAll-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 theCleveland Browns. In 1949, after the AAFC was reduced to seven teams, the league implemented a single division and used theShaughnessy 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 theNew 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 andIndianapolis Colts joining the 49ers as new teams in the NFL (theLos Angeles Dons merged with theLos Angeles Rams while the three other AAFC teams folded).
The 49ers and Packers emerged as rivals during the mid-1990s, meeting in the playoffs four consecutive years. During this period, the 49ers were led by Steve Young andJerry Rice, while the Packers featuredBrett Favre as their offensive leader, andReggie White as their defensive anchor. The two teams' head coaches came from theBill Walsh coaching tree, with 49ers head coachGeorge Seifert having served under Walsh as a defensive coordinator, and Packers head coachMike Holmgren having served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Both were on Walsh's staff when the 49ers wonSuper Bowl XXIII in1988, and Holmgren served on Seifert's staff when the 49ers repeated as champions inSuper Bowl XXIV in1989. Before the1992 season, Holmgren was hired as the Packers' head coach, and the Packers acquired Favre from theAtlanta Falcons.[15]
Their first postseason encounter came in the1995 Divisional Round. The 49ers entered the game asdefending Super Bowl champions. In that game, the Packers jumped out to a 21–0 lead en route to a 27–17 victory atCandlestick 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.[16] The two teams met again in the1996 Divisional Round, with Green Bay also winning the game 35–14 en route to claimingSuper Bowl XXXI. This game was notorious for muddy conditions atLambeau Field following a torrent of rain and snow. In a defensive battle, it was special teams player and eventual Super Bowl MVPDesmond 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 assistantSteve Mariucci took over as head coach.[17]
Muddy field conditions and torrential rain also played a key role when the 49ers and Packers met for a third straight postseason in the1997 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park. This game, which the Packers won 23–10 en route to a losing effort inSuper Bowl XXXII, saw Favre complete a touchdown pass toAntonio Freeman in the second quarter to give the Packers a lead they never relinquished.[17] But perhaps the most defining moment of the rivalry came in the1998 Wild Card Round. Late in the fourth quarter, with the 49ers trailing 27–23, Young drove 76 yards to set upTerrell Owens' game-winning touchdown catch. This moment became known asThe Catch II, in homage to asimilar play in the1981 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.[17]
The final playoff meeting involving Brett Favre came in the2001 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 sawAhman Green run nine yards for the game-sealing touchdown.[17]
The rivalry between the two teams reignited during the2005 NFL draft. After the 49ers finished 2–14 in2004, they received the top overall pick in the draft. This draft featured two top quarterback prospects inAlex Smith and northern California nativeAaron Rodgers, who grew up rooting for the 49ers and idolizingJoe 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.[18] 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 theKansas City Chiefs in2013.
During the 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 Rodgers era, however, the 49ers had more success against the Packers, as Rodgers went 6–7 against the 49ers as a member of the Packers, including an 0–4 playoff record.
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The 49ers and Packers renewed their playoff rivalry in the2012 Divisional Round. This game saw the playoff debut ofColin 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.[19][20] The following season, a rematch took place in Green Bay during the2013 Wild Card Round. Despite the chilly conditions at Lambeau Field, the 49ers prevailed in a close-knit affair 23–20, withPhil 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.[21] The 49ers and Packers also faced off in the2019 NFC Championship Game, with running backRaheem Mostert scoring four touchdowns on 220 rushing yards.[22] This game also featured two coaches who were fourth-generation descendants to the Bill Walsh coaching tree, as 49ers head coachKyle Shanahan and Packers head coachMatt LaFleur both served under Kyle's fatherMike Shanahan, who in turn succeeded Mike Holmgren as the 49ers' offensive coordinator under George Seifert.[23][15]
Two years after the 2019 NFC Championship, the two teams met again in the2021 Divisional Round. While the Packers entered the contest as the NFC's top seed, the sixth-seeded 49ers beat the Packers, 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 punterCorey Bojorquez, and in the closing seconds, placekickerRobbie Gould kicked the game-winning field goal.[24] 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 a record 10th playoff meeting between two teams. Each club had two new quarterbacks,Jordan Love for the Packers andBrock Purdy for the 49ers.[25][26][27] The Packers had won against the teams' fellow rivalDallas Cowboys in the previous round, becoming the first 7 seed to win a playoff game against the 2 seed.[28][29][30][31][32] Despite falling behind 21–14, the 49ers came back on their final drive to win 24–21, capped off with an interception byDre 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.[33]
As of the 2024 NFL season, the 49ers and Packers have played in a combined 13 Super Bowls.[12][34] Each team's overall record and playoff success are provided in the table below.
| Team | NFL Titles[note 1] | Conference Titles | Divisional Titles[note 2] | Wild Card Berths | Playoff Appearances | NFL Title Game Appearances[note 3] | Super Bowl Appearances[note 4] | All-time Record | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 8 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 624–515–16 (.547) | [34] |
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 9 | 21 | 8 | 37 | 11 | 5 | 835–623–38 (.571) | [12] |
| Combined | 18 | 17 | 44 | 14 | 64 | 11 | 13 | 1,459–1,138–54 (.561) | [note 5] |
The 49ers and Packers have played each other 74 times, with the Packers leading the all-time series 39–34–1. The Packers lead the all-time series 23–11 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 through the 2024 season.
| San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers Season-by-Season Results[35] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1950s (49ers, 13–5)
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1960s (Packers, 12–4–1)
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1970s (49ers, 4–2)
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1980s (49ers, 3–2)
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1990s (Packers, 6–2)
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2000s (Packers, 6–0)
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2010s (49ers, 6–3)
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2020s (Packers, 3–2)
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Summary of Results
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Media related to49ers–Packers rivalry at Wikimedia Commons