The NFL is at the business end of the season now as we enter the playoffs stage, where the San Francisco 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round.
The 49ers finished top of the NFC West after an excellent season saw them finish with a 12-5 record, while the Packers finished second in the NFC North with a positive 9-8 record.
We'll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the field.
Learn more about how to bet on the NFL playoffs here.
San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers information
- Saturday, January 20th 2024
- Levi's Stadium, San Francisco, California
- 20:15 ET kick-off
Season so far
The 49ers started their season in sensational form with five straight victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers (30-7), LA Rams (30-23), New York Giants (30-12), Arizona Cardinals (35-16) and Dallas Cowboys (42-10).
But something seemed to change and San Francisco fell to three consecutive defeats as the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals before they had a bye week to recharge and reset.
They followed that up with six wins in a row by defeating Jacksonville Jaguars (34-3), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27-14) and Seattle Seahawks (31-13), Philadelphia Eagles (42-19), Seattle Seahawks again (28-16) and Arizona again (45-29) before their streak was snapped by the Baltimore Ravens.
A dominant 27-10 win over the Washington Commanders followed before defeat to the Los Angeles Rams (21-20) saw them end the campaign with a defeat, although they had already earned a first-round bye in the playoffs by that point.
The Packers didn't have the best of starts to their campaign, suffering three defeats from their opening five games. Week 1 saw victory over the Chicago Bears (38-20), before a 25-24 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons. They then defeated the New Orleans Saints 18-17 before back to back losses against the Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders.
That was followed by a bye week, before they came back to two more consecutive losses against the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings. They finally got back on the winning trail with a 20-3 victory against the Los Angeles Rams, before another loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Green Bay found some form after that with three wins on the spin against the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs, before then suffering back-to-back defeats to the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However they ended the season with three wins on the trot once again to claim their playoff spot, where they pulled off a shock 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Wildcard round to set this game up.
NFL picks: Green Bay Packers +9.5 @ -110
This will be a fun matchup between Kyle Shanahan and Matt LeFleur. They come from the same coaching tree and have unique minds that have countless times led their teams into the postseason.
While the Packers struggled earlier this season, Jordan Love and Green Bay have really got going in the second half. Love hasn't thrown an interception in five straight games but has had 12 passing touchdowns in those five games, massively boosting the team's scoring numbers as a result.
But while Love is getting all the attention, Aaron Jones has been a big reason for Green Bay's recent surge.
Jones was injured for most of the season but finally started to look like himself on December 24 against the Panthers. In that game, he rushed 21 times for 127 yards.
Beyond that, the Packers have a ton of quality young receivers that are making names for themselves. It won't be easy against the 49ers' defense, which has one of the best secondaries and pass rushes in the NFL.
Meanwhile, even when Green Bay had a massive lead against the Cowboys, the Packers allowed over 500 yards of total offense to Dallas in that game. They couldn't get many stops in the second half, and eventually, the game unexpectedly got close within the final minutes of the game.
The 49ers are still the better team and should be the ones to progress through, but the chances of a blowout are slim-to-none so back Green Bay to cover the spread.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
NFL picks: Over 50.5 total match points @ -110
San Francisco have arguably been the best NFL team this season and their numbers back that up. The 49ers have averaged 28.9 points scored per game, ranking them 3rd in the league. Defensively they have only allowed an average of 17.5 points per game, ranking them third defensively in the league also.
The Packers on the other hand have averaged 22.5 points scored per game, which ranks them as the 12th best offensive team in the NFL this season. Defensively they have allowed an average of 20.6 points per game, ranking them 10th in the league.
The 51 point total has been hit or surpassed on six occasions in 49ers games this season and another six times in Packers games, so both teams are capable and that makes the Over the bet to back.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
