3 keys to a Packers win vs. the 49ers

3 keys to a Packers win vs. the 49ers

1. Keep QB Aaron Rodgers off his back

QB Aaron Rodgers is the heart and soul of this team. He's also the liver, the spleen and any other important body part you can think of. If the Packers are going to win on Saturday, they have to keep Rodgers from getting sacked. Rodgers was sacked a league-high 51 times this season, but a more telling stat might be this: Rodgers was sacked 26 times in five losses (5.2 sacks per game) and only 25 times in 11 wins (2.3 sacks per game). The 49ers sacked Rodgers three times in San Francisco's 30-22, Week-1 win over Green Bay. With 49ers DE Justin Smith returning after a three-week layoff due to an elbow injury, its not going to be easy for the Packer offensive line to keep Rodgers' jersey clean. No one will be more excited to see Smith back than 49ers LB Aldon Smith. Aldon Smith recorded 19.5 sacks this season, but tallied exactly zero in the two weeks Justin Smith was out.

2. Stop the 49ers running attack

If you look at San Francisco RB Frank Gore's numbers from the first game between these two teams, they probably won't blow you away: Gore ran for 112 yards and a touchdown. However, if you look inside those numbers, you'll see that Green Bay had no answer for the 49ers running game. Gore averaged 7.0 yards per carry against the Packers in Week 1 and that was when Green Bay didn't have to worry about the added threat of mobile 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick. If the Packers let the 49ers get near the 186 total rushing yards they had in Week 1, Green Bay will probably lose the game.

3. Clutch kicking

After the atrocious year that Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby had, Packers fans may not remember what clutch kicking is. Crosby connected on only 63.9 percent of his field goal attempts this season (21 of 33), a number that ranked him dead last in the NFL and was the worst of his career. With the game expected to be close on Saturday, Crosby's ability to hit the big kick could be the difference. Although Crosby's been cold most of the season, he has been hot lately, going 5 for 5 in his last five attempts. That string of makes includes a 48-yarder in the Packers Week 16 win over Tennessee and a 51-yarder in Green Bay's 37-34 Week 17 loss to Minnesota.

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