In January, Jordan Love and the upstart Packers appeared to be positioned to earn a trip to the NFC title game.
Then, Brock Purdy and the 49ers pulled off an incredible comeback, scoring 10 straight points in the fourth quarter to take a late lead. Green Bay's hopes were officially extinguished when Love fired a desperate cross-body pass into a crowd of 49ers, where Dre Greenlaw intercepted it, sending the 49ers to their penultimate contest on the road to Super Bowl LVIII.
Love had all offseason to reflect on the loss and determine how he could improve. Ahead of their Week 12 rematch on Sunday, Love admitted he certainly hasn't forgotten how that defeat made him feel.
"I think just ending the season, getting into the playoffs and being knocked out by the 49ers -- whoever it would have been -- that game is definitely going to sit with you," Love said Wednesday, . "That's what you've got to kind of just sit with all offseason, is going back, watching that game, trying to see what you could have done better, could have done differently in that game.
"It definitely sits with you through the offseason, and then you obviously move on. Just knowing that that's the team that knocked us out, we're definitely hungry for this game."
Love's Packers have swapped roles with the 49ers for this game. Instead of needing to catch fire down the backstretch of the season to reach the postseason, Green Bay finds itself in contention for both a wild-card spot and the division title in a tight NFC North race.
San Francisco, meanwhile, needs to get hot quickly in order to ensure it'll return to the playoffs. Although the NFC West is certainly up for grabs, the 49ers' 5-5 record -- and their volatile play and lengthy injury report -- doesn't inspire a ton of faith they'll replicate their 2023 run to the Super Bowl.
Still, the 49ers have a winning pedigree that should ensure no opponent takes them lightly. Love knows he'll need to play cleaner than the two-touchdown, two-interception game he produced in January.
His coach agrees.
"I think you've just got to rely on what you see on tape and, you know, try to find holes in whatever -- whether it's on offense, defense or special teams -- and try to attack the perceived weaknesses, which there's not many on this football team," Matt LaFleur said, also via ESPN.
"They've got a lot of good players. I think their scheme -- it doesn't matter what phase of the game -- I think it's really sound. And I think there's a lot of good, lot of great, coaches over there and great players. So it's tough to go against."
The Packers know they're in for a fight Sunday. They'll arrive to Lambeau Field with knowledge that can only be gained from already going 12 rounds with their foe.
