The San Francisco 49ers are coming off an upset win in the NFC wild card round over the Dallas Cowboys, 23-17. That was a stiff test. It does not get any easier as the 49ers now enter the NFC divisional round to play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are rested, having earned the conference's top seed and the only first round bye. Meanwhile, San Francisco will head to the weekend with a number of questions and injuries.

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Here are my four bold predictions for the San Francisco 49ers game vs. the Green Bay Packers.

 

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San Francisco 49ers Predictions vs. Green Bay Packers

4. Elijah Mitchell logs more than 16 rushes for over 100 yards

When the 49ers drafted Elijah Mitchell in the 6th round of the 2021 NFL Draft, they could not possibly have expected the level of production they received. After all, they traded up to draft Trey Sermon out of Ohio State in the 3rd round. Sermon was supposed to be the rookie that made an impact. Between injuries and ineffectiveness, Sermon fell out of favor quickly.

Meanwhile, Mitchell had an astounding rookie season. He finished the year 2nd among rookie running backs with 963 yards, behind only Pittsburgh Steelers' Najee Harris. Harris was a first-rounder. Mitchell also missed a handful of games due to injuries. Mitchell is also a more physical runner than most realize.

The Packers defense was playing like an elite unit midway through the year. It's the reason many people talked about Green Bay being the prohibited favorites to win the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers and the offense is just as good as it normally is. That never changed. It was the defense that raised the expectations.

But if you look at the Packers defense a little closer, you'll find they appear to be wearing down.

I'll throw out the 37-30 loss to the Detroit Lions in a meaningless Week 18. The month leading to that, they allowed the Los Angeles Rams to score 28 points, the Chicago Bears to score 30, the Baltimore Ravens to drop 31 and the Cleveland Browns 22. That last one might not sound like a lot, but the Browns rushed for over 200 yards and if Baker Mayfield didn't throw a career-high four interceptions, that would have been a very different outcome.

I look for the 49ers to give the ball to Mitchell early and often, establishing an effective run game.

3. Deebo Samuel continues to show why he is the swiss army knife of the NFL

Niners wide receiver Deebo Samuel had his breakout season in 2021. He finished among the league leaders in receiving. But as the year progressed, he also became a vital part of the rushing attack as well. It is becoming practically impossible to prepare for this guy.

Last week, he lined up out wide on 19 snaps, in the slot for 13 snaps, and in the backfield for 13 as well. One of the best wide receivers in the world, finished 10th… in rushing touchdowns. What? Yes, he ran for eight touchdowns this season. He also logged the highest broken tackle rate in the NFL this year.

Wherever he gets the ball, he is a threat to take it to the end zone. With Brandon Aiyuk reminding everyone how dangerous he is, and Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle running routes over the middle, it's hard to account for Samuel.

He should finish with over 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdowns, yet again.

2. Jimmy Garoppolo struggles, throws no touchdown passes

49ers fans hold their breath every time San Fran QB Jimmy Garoppolo drops back to pass. You never quite know what you are going to get. He has shown that in big moments, he tends to play really well. Just ask the Los Angeles Rams.

But this week, he faces a very tough situation.

Multiple sources have reported that Garoppolo is dealing with shoulder and thumb injuries. All of his throws were supposedly impacted during the 2nd half of last week's win at Dallas.

Despite having grown up just outside of Chicago and playing at Eastern Illinois, he has still never started a pro game in temperatures below 32 degrees. It is expected to be freezing at Lambeau Field, ranging 8-10 degrees. If that shoulder or thumb tightens up in the cold, it could severely impact his ability to accurately throw the football.

1. 49ers cover the spread, have a chance to win the game

It's been almost two months that most football pundits have just written the Packers into the Super Bowl. But that seems to be a similar-sounding story as many other years. Yet, Aaron Rodgers has reached the Super Bowl once in 15 years.

Recent reports have Fred Warner and Nick Bosa likely to suit up Sunday at Green Bay.

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San Francisco needs certain things to happen to pull off the upset. One of them is something most people were unaware of, which is the red zone mismatch.

They need to pressure Aaron Rodgers. They need to run the football effectively. And they'll need to continue to finishing drives. If they do those things, they will send Aaron Rodgers home early.