Favre will make it 4 straight over 49ers

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Posted: Friday January 01, 1999 03:07 PM

Green Bay and San Francisco are both good enough to make it to the NFC Championship game, and Sunday's matchup should be terrific. But there's also an important subplot here: The futures of head coaches Mike Holmgren and Steve Mariucci. One GM told me that if Holmgren's Packers lose the game, it will set in motion a coaching carousel. This GM said some owners aren't making a move until they know where Holmgren will be next year. If San Francisco loses, Mariucci could be in trouble and one scenario has Holmgren returning to San Francisco, where he made his reputation first as the Niners' quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator.

The Packers have knocked the 49ers out of the playoffs for three straight seasons and have also won the last two regular season games between these two teams. A key to the Packers' dominance has been the quick start. In fact, in each of the last five matchups, Green Bay has gotten out to at least a six-point lead. If that happens again, the 49ers will be in trouble.

When these teams played on Nov. 1, Steve Young was sacked nine times. Defensive ends Vonnie Holliday and Reggie White are clear mismatches for 49ers tackles Kirk Scrafford and Derrick Deese, so when San Francisco assigns someone to help them out, expect safety LeRoy Butler to blitz again from the right side. He had two sacks in that November game, and he'll either hammer Young again or prevent him from escaping to his left.

But, the biggest factor behind Green Bay's dominance over San Francisco has been Brett Favre. He's never lost to the 49ers. In the Pack's most recent win, he was intercepted three times, but he also passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns. That day, special teamer Travis Jervey was at running back. On Sunday, the Packers will have Dorsey Levens back and ready to duplicate his 1997 performance against San Francisco when he rushed for 114 yards and a TD.

When Brett Favre wasn't named to the Pro Bowl this season, I think it raised a real fire in him. He'll be too much for the 49ers again on Sunday.

 

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