Packers QB Love reacts to facing ‘talented’ 49ers in divisional round originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Shortly after leading the Green Bay Packers to a Super Wild Card Weekend upset of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, quarterback Jordan Love already shifted his focus to the next task at hand.
That task is a divisional-round playoff meeting with an explosive 49ers team on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium, a matchup Love knows the Packers can’t waste any time preparing for.
“They’re a very talented team,” Love told reporters in Dallas after Sunday’s win. “It’s all about how we get back to work this week, getting in the film room and seeing what they’re about and getting back to work. They’re a really good team so we got to get our bodies back and get back to it.”
Green Bay will have a short turnaround with five days to prep for the big game, while San Francisco will be well-rested and ready to get back on the field after their top spot in the NFC earned the team a first-round bye.
The 49ers clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed ahead of the 2023 regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams and rested several starters. Despite having nearly two weeks off from game action, though, the 49ers have approached practice and preparation no differently than any other week.
That mindset was important to coach Kyle Shanahan, whom Packers coach Matt LaFleur is all too familiar with.
“[I] couldn’t be happier for our guys,” LaFleur said Sunday. “[I’m] really excited about our new opportunity going to San Francisco and playing against one of the best teams in the NFL. We’ll have our work cut out for us and certainly, I don’t know when we play, but assuming it’s going to be on a short week, so we’ll have to rest up.”
The 49ers also have their work cut out for them against Love, who completed 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys, and the Packers’ offense powered by Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones and receivers Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
But it takes a talented offense to know one, and as LaFleur attested to, the Brock Purdy-led 49ers unit is one of the best in football.
LaFleur and the rest of the NFL world now know the game will be played Saturday, Jan. 20, at 5:15 p.m. PST. Coverage begins with “49ers Pregame Live” at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports Bay Area.
