You have to hand it to the San Francisco 49ers. They have a knack for being quotable as heck.
To kick off the week ahead of the NFC championship game, the squad that brought you “It feels great, baby” has a new mantra, courtesy of head coach Kyle Shanahan: “Don’t be that stupid.”
It really is the best way to summarize how the Niners can’t underestimate the Green Bay Packers when the two teams square off on Sunday. Since being pummeled by San Francisco 37-8 in regular-season play, Green Bay has been nearly unstoppable, so San Francisco would be foolish to take them lightly.
In Week 12, the Red & Gold emerged victorious against a good team having a bad day. On championship weekend, they’ll need to take that effort to a whole other level.
“They were a pretty good team before we played them last time,” Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. “I think that game just got away from them with the turnover to start and things like that. They played the same way they played all year. They just had one bad game. They have been a tough team offensively and defensively all year and done a good job not turning it over and their defense has kept people from scoring.”
One of San Francisco’s biggest assets in their previous meeting with Green Bay was their ability to get to Aaron Rodgers, sacking him five times and holding him to one of three completed pass attempts under pressure for 15 yards. But Shanahan & Co. know Rodgers’ experience in big playoff games and that his success makes him a threat all the same.
“There’s probably not anyone on the planet who throws better than him,” Shanahan complimented. “There might be a couple of guys that you can compare with him, but his arm talent is just unbelievable, his athletic ability is unbelievable. He’s always been able to run around, extend plays, make throws from any angle and he’s a very intelligent guy who can get them in the right play and it’s hard to throw stuff at him that he’s not prepared for.”
One final area San Francisco has to be aware of? How well Green Bay converts on third downs.
The Packers were 1-for-15 on third down in the Week 12 meeting. In keeping pressure on Rodgers, the Niners’ defense will have to use the same force to keep the Packers from moving the ball down the field if they want to keep this game from getting too close.
The long and short of it is that Sunday’s matchup won’t be easy — for either team.
“There are four teams left and that’s four very, very good teams,” Shanahan summarized earlier in the week. “It’s going to be a hard game for all of us.”
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