Packers to host 49ers in NFC Wild Card contest

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by **clicking here**.

SAN FRANCISCO (12-4) AT GREEN BAY (8-7-1)
Sunday, Jan. 5 - Lambeau Field - 3:40 p.m. CST

packers TO HOST 49ERS IN NFC WILD CARD CONTEST

• For the second straight season, the Green Bay Packers (No. 4 seed) and San Francisco 49ers (No. 5 seed) will meet in the postseason, the first playoff matchup between the clubs at Lambeau Field since a Wild Card contest on Jan. 13, 2002.
• It is the first time the Packers have faced the same opponent in back-to-back postseasons since Green Bay played San Francisco in the playoffs in four consecutive seasons (1995-98). The Packers and 49ers played in an NFC Divisional contest last season at Candlestick Park.
• This will mark the seventh time that the Packers and 49ers have met in the postseason. That is tied for the most games for Green Bay against one opponent in the playoffs (N.Y. Giants, seven). The Packers hold a 4-2 advantage over San Francisco in the postseason series.
• This will be the second meeting this season and the fourth in the last 16 months between the clubs. The Packers visited San Francisco in Week 1 this season, a 34-28 win for the 49ers. It marks the fourth time (1996, 1998, 2012) in the history of the series that the clubs have squared off  in both the regular season and the postseason.
• Since 2010, Green Bay has a .695 regular-season winning percentage (44-19-1), No. 1 in the NFC over that span, with San Francisco checking in at No. 2 in the conference with a .664 winning percentage (42-21-1).
• Sunday's game will be a matchup of two of the most successful teams in the postseason. Green Bay is 30-18 all-time in the playoffs, a .625 winning percentage that ranks No. 2 in NFL history. San Francisco checks in at No. 5 in the league at 28-19 (.596) in the postseason. The teams have combined for 18 world championships (Green Bay 13, San Francisco 5).
• Including playoffs, the Packers have won 13 of the last 17 games against the 49ers, but San Francisco has emerged victorious in the last three.

BACK IN THE Postseason

• With a thrilling 33-28 win over the Bears on Sunday, the Packers clinched their third straight NFC North title, the first time they have done so since 2002-04. It marked Green Bay's 21st division crown in franchise history.
• In the 12 seasons of the NFC North (2002-13), Green Bay has captured the division title seven times (2002-04, 2007, 2011-13).
• This marks the Packers' fifth consecutive playoff appearance (2009-13), one of only two NFL teams (New England) to do so over that span. Green Bay has advanced to the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons.
• Green Bay's streak of five straight playoff appearances ranks second in franchise history behind only a six-season stretch from 1993-98.
• This is the Packers' 29th postseason berth in team history and their 16th appearance in the last 21 seasons. Green Bay's 16 appearances in the free-agency era (since 1993) are the most of any team in the NFL.
• The Packers currently rank No. 3 in NFL history with their 29 playoff appearances, trailing only the N.Y. Giants (31) and Dallas Cowboys (30).
• Since the NFL went to a 12-team playoff format in 1990, Green Bay has been the No. 4 seed three other times (1994, 2001, 2003).

WITH THE CALL

• FOX Sports, now in its 20th season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast Sunday's game to a national audience.
• Play-by-play man Joe Buckand color analyst Troy Aikman will have the call from the broadcast booth with Pam Oliver andErin Andrews reporting from the sidelines.
• Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 50-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee(play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro BowlerLarry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo is in its 15th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 42 markets in six states.
• WestwoodOne Sports will air the game across the country. Tom McCarthy(play-by-play) and Rod Woodson (analyst) will call the action with Mark Malone reporting from the sidelines. Scott Grahamhosts pregame and halftime shows.
• The broadcast is also available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
• DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game in HD on Channel 715.

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

• Packers vs. 49ers:
• All-time regular season:30-27-1
• All-time postseason:4-2
• All-time, home:23-11 (includes 2-0 in postseason)
• Streaks:The 49ers have won three straight, but the Packers have won 13 of the last 17 (including playoffs).
• Last meeting, postseason:Jan. 12, 2013, at Candlestick Park; 49ers won, 30-22

COACHES CAPSULES

• Mike McCarthy: 88-49-1, .641, (incl. 6-4 postseason); 8th NFL season
• Jim Harbaugh:39-13-1, .745, (incl. 3-2 postseason); 3rd NFL season
• Head to Head:Harbaugh 3-0
• vs. Opponent:McCarthy 3-3 vs. 49ers; Harbaugh 3-0 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his eighth year as the Packers' 14th head coach.

• Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
• Has led the Packers to playoff appearances in six of his eight seasons at the helm, and the team's five postseason berths since 2009 are tied for the most in the NFL with New England.
• Led Green Bay to 47 regular-season victories from 2009-12, the second most in the NFL over that span and the second most in franchise history over a four-year period.
• His .641 winning percentage (including playoffs) ranks No. 4 among active NFL coaches (min. 60 games).
• Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
• Became the first Packers coach since Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season (2007).

JIM HARBAUGH…Is in his third year as the 49ers' 17th head coach.

• In his first two seasons at the helm, led the 49ers to two NFC West titles, two NFC Championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance.
• Is just the second NFL coach to win consecutive division titles in his first two seasons after inheriting a team with a losing record.
• Earned NFL Coach of the Year honors from The Associated Press in 2011 after leading the 49ers to a 13-3 record in his rookie campaign.
• Was previously the head coach at Stanford (2007-10), where he led the Cardinal to its first BCS game appearance and victory in the Orange Bowl, in 2010.
• Also was the head coach at the University of San Diego (2004-06). Began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders (2002-03). Played QB for 15 seasons in the NFL with the Bears, Colts, Ravens, Chargers and Panthers.

THE PACKERS-49ERS SERIES

• Originally dating back to 1950, the series featured two games per season from 1953-66 with the teams trading dominant stretches.
• San Francisco won 13 times in a span of 15 games between 1950-58, while the Packers won 10 of 11 games between 1959-64.
• In more recent times, the series has been noted for its postseason clashes, including several defining moments in Packers history. Green Bay's 27-17 triumph in the 1995 NFC Divisional playoff was considered the breakthrough victory that established the Packers as an elite team for the next several years. The Packers also won the next two postseason meetings, a 35-14 home victory in the 1996 NFC Divisional playoff en route to the Super Bowl XXXI title, and a 23-10 win at San Francisco in the 1997 NFC Championship game.
• The two teams met in the playoffs for a fourth straight season in 1998, with the 49ers winning 30-27 on QB Steve Young's last-second TD pass to WR Terrell Owens.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was San Francisco's offensive coordinator in 2005...Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene played for the 49ers in 1997...Packers quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo served as assistant offensive line coach/quality control for the 49ers in 2005...Packers QB Scott Tolzien was on San Francisco's 53-man roster in 2011-12...Packers WR Chris Harper was with the 49ers for the first six games this season...Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is from Chico, Calif., and played collegiately at Butte College in Oroville, Calif., and the University of California…Other Packers from northern California include T David Bakhtiari (San Mateo), CB Jarrett Bush (Vacaville) and WR James Jones (San Jose); Jones also attended San Jose State…Packers LB Clay Matthews' grandfather, Clay Sr., played defensive line for the 49ers for four seasons (1950, 1953-55)...49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was born in Milwaukee...49ers secondary coach Ed Donatell served as Green Bay's defensive coordinator from 2000-03…49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and Packers tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot were teammates with the Chicago Bears…Harbaugh, 49ers tight ends coach Reggie Davis and 49ers asst. secondary coach Greg Jackson were teammates of Packers secondary-safeties coach Darren Perry with the San Diego Chargers in 1999...McCarthy coached with 49ers offensive line coach Mike Solari in Kansas City from 1997-98…Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers and 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio coached together with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars (USFL), the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans…49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman worked on Capers' staffs in Carolina and Houston…49ers special teams coordinator/asst. head coach Brad Seely also worked on Capers' staff in Carolina…Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum was 49ers LB Patrick Willis' position coach for one season at Ole Miss (2005)...Packers vice president/general counsel Ed Policy's father, Carmen, worked in San Francisco's front office in the 1980s and 1990s, including time as president and chief executive officer…49ers quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst is a native of Madison, Wis., and coached at Wisconsin-Platteville (1987) and Wisconsin (1988)…49ers assistant secondary coach Greg Jackson coached on the staff at Wisconsin in 2010.

LAST MEETING, POSTSEASON

• Jan. 12, 2013, at Candlestick Park; 49ers won, 45-31.
• 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick threw for 263 yards and two TDs and rushed for a quarterback playoff-record 181 yards and two TDs.
• QB Aaron Rodgers connected on 26 of 39 passes for 257 yards and two TDs with one interception and WR James Jones led the way with 87 receiving yards and a TD on four grabs (21.8 avg.).
• CB Sam Shields staked the Packers to an early 7-0 lead when he picked off Kaepernick on the 49ers' opening drive and returned the interception 52 yards for a TD.
• The 49ers finished with 323 rushing yards on the evening, with RB Frank Gore adding 119 yards on 23 carries (5.2 avg.).

stat of the week

• In Sunday's division-clinching win at Chicago, the Packers overcame a 28-20 fourth-quarter deficit in the 33-28 win.
• For Green Bay, that was familiar territory in the final month of the season, with the comeback win over Chicago marking the third time in December that the Packers had come back to win after trailing by eight or more points in the second half.
• In Green Bay's 22-21 victory vs. Atlanta in Week 15, it trailed 21-10 in the second half before shutting out the Falcons and scoring 12 points  to pull out the win. In the Packers' 37-36 win at Dallas the next week, they matched the biggest comeback in franchise history after trailing by 23 points (26-3) in the second half.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked thefirst time in franchise history that the Packers had won three games in a calendar month when they trailed by eight-plus points in the second half in each of those victories.
• According to Elias, the last NFL team to accomplish the feat in a calendar month was the Indianapolis Colts in December 1986.
• Sunday's 87-yard game winning drive that was capped off with a 48-yard TD pass from QB Aaron Rodgers to WR Randall Cobb featured three fourth-down conversions, the first time Green Bay had done so on a drive since at Chicago on Dec. 4, 2005.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by **clicking here**.