The San Francisco 49ers pulled off the biggest upset of the 2022 NFL playoffs to date when they went into Lambeau Field, kept Aaron Rodgers in check and beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10.
Victory sets up an all-NFC West tie in the NFC Championship game as the LA Rams went down to Tampa Bay and beat Tom Brady’s Buccaneers 30-27 on Sunday.
As a result, this year’s NFC Championship will be played at the same stadium the Super Bowl will be played in two weeks later.
The 49ers have had to go on the road in both their playoff games to get this far, and the freezing conditions in Green Bay may have left some wear on tear on the team.
Left tackle Trent Williams limped off in the third quarter and did not return versus the Packers. The latest news as of Tuesday is that the x-rays came back negative, although no update on his injury status has yet been announced.
Deebo Samuel took a helmet to his knee in the final offensive play of the game and the 49ers’ key player on offence had to limp off the field one legged as the field goal unit came on. He is “expected to play” this Sunday.
The LA Rams got through their Divisional round victory without left back Andrew Whitworth. The 39-year-old is expected to return for the NFC Championship. That would be significant as both tackles can expect to face Joey Bosa at times.
Although San Francisco have won the last six meetings between these two, including an overtime victory in week 18 that saw them sneak into the playoffs at the New Orleans Saints’ expense, they are the sportsbooks’ 3-point underdogs going into the game.
We have them as underdogs too.
Not a fan of either quarterback but credit where credit’s due for Matthew Stafford on the game-winning drive after the Rams had blown a 27-3 lead. Both these teams have excellent defences but I think Jimmy Garoppolo makes more mistakes.
Pick: LA Rams
