Ahead of the 2005 NFL Draft, the choice for the San Francisco 49ers was between Utah quarterback Alex Smith and Cal QB Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers passed on the quarterback who had made his name in the Bay Area and went with Smith with the No. 1 overall pick. Rodgers would slide all the way to No. 24, when the Packers mercifully took him off the board.
Several years later, Rodgers returns to Northern California at the helm of a dynamic Packers offense. Smith? He'll be holding a clipboard -- barring an injury or an unexpected trick play -- while Colin Kaepernick leads the 49ers' offense. After leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game last season, Smith lost his starting spot this season after a concussion. A dynamic, dual-threat player, Kaepernick took the reins of Jim Harbaugh's offense while Smith was sidelined and never let go.
"Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback," Kaepernick told ESPN ahead of the game. "You see what he does on the field and you see performances he's been having, so you can't say enough about the guy. We're going to have to go out and put up points."
The Packers stifled another dual-threat quarterback in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, limiting surprise starter Joe Webb en route to a 24-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. If Clay Matthews and the Packers' defense can contain Kaepernick with as much as success then they'll likely avenge a Week 1 loss to the 49ers at Lambeau Field.
Will the rested 49ers advance to the NFC Championship Game? Will Harbaugh have any tricks up his sleeve (perhaps involving Smith) after two weeks of preparation for the Packers? Or will Rodgers make his return to the Bay Area a triumphant one?
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| @ mikecwright : Bears and Packers both learned that SF throws a TON of different looks at you. In both games both teams out-coached. |
| @ Jimmy_Beast : A lot of people thinking this could be it for Dom Capers as DC in GB, 2 years after SB win. Could be Perry Fewell's same fate next season. |
| @ MoveTheSticks : The 2 teams that advanced to Championship week are led by QBs from Delaware and Nevada. |
Packers won't waste any of their 2 timeouts and the 49ers are kneeing it. GAME OVER. 45-31 49ers. San Francisco heads to the NFC Championship game.
Onside kick fails and the 49ers recover. This one is over.
Rodgers gets plenty of time in the pocket and fires a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in the back right corner of the end zone. Touchdown Packers. 49ers have a 45-31 lead. 57 seconds left.
San Francisco's Tarell Brown intercepts a pass in the end zone but he was flagged for pass interference. Ball is on the 4 and Packers get an automatic first down.
| @ JeffDuncanTP : Starting to wonder if Super Bowl XLVII could end up being the Harbaugh Bowl. Each just one win away from #Nola. |
Rodgers takes the ball himself and dives just a yard short of the first down.. Then he hits Nelson deep down in the middle of the field for the first down.
| @ JeffDuncanTP : Niners also came into #Nola & beat the Saints in the Superdome after they'd won 5 of 6 games. |
Rodgers finds James Jones in the middle of the field for a big gain of 16. But a scuffle broke out afterwards between some of the linemen down by the line of scrimmage. Several players had to be separated but no flags were thrown.
Rodgers completes 2 passes for a total of 9 yards before hitting Nelson on the left sideline for an 8-yard gain and a first down. 2:53 left.
| @ richeisen : Forget most ever by a QB in a playoff game. @Kaepernick7 183 rushing yards are the most ever for a QB in ANY game, regular season too. |
Cobb returns the kick to Green Bay's 23. Tedd Ginn Jr. is dancing on the sideline.
| @ timkawakami : 49ers break team playoff record for total yards--550. Record was in Super Bowl XIX vs. Miami. |
Ruling on the field stands. Dixon scores. 45-24 SAN FRANCISCO.
| @ Curtis_Crabtree : So much for that whole Aaron Rodgers/49ers revenge story line huh? |
Anthony Dixon gets the carry this time and runs for 2 yards into the end zone for the TOUCHDOWN. Play will be reviewed though.
| @ richeisen : Kaepernick even makes big plays with his cadence. #BigPlayATM |
| @ Tim_McManus : I was skeptical of the move to Kaepernick. I am a dope. |
Gore runs right up the middle and takes it to the 2-yard line. Under 4:30 to go.
Green Bay jumped and encroachment is called on the defense. Call was on Raji. Brutal.
Kaepernick drops back and fires a pass off his back foot to Crabtree cutting across the middle and he takes it about 14 yards JUST short of the first down. 49ers looking to put them away on fourth down and 1.
| @ RossTuckerNFL : There should be no confusion for Clay. He should either have the RB or the QB. Discipline. Responsibilities. |
This time it's Gore who hurts the GB defense on the ground. He jsut carried the ball up the middle, then broke out to the outside to his right and took it all the way down to inside Green Bay's 30.
Kaepernick fakes the handoff again with the read offense and runs left for 16 yards. He looks unstoppable right now. Under 10 minutes to go.
Rodgers looked deep for Jennings, who pushed off but no flag, then stretched out to make the catch but the pass was just out of his reach. Packers have to punt and down the ball at the 7-yard line. GB running out of time.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/12/packers-49ers-live-aaron-rodgers_n_2464658.html
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