As the NFC's top seed, there was no reason to think the 49ers were anything but a favorite to make the playoffs and represent the conference in Super Bowl III in Las Vegas.
But going down these paths is rarely easy, and there was certainly a feeling that the second-seeded Cowboys could make it.
And there was certainly a strong belief that the Cowboys, undefeated at home this season, had what it took to get past the seventh-seeded Packers in the wild-card round.
As we now know, that didn't happen.
“We didn't know who was going to win,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “So I wasn't surprised by anything that happened. Dallas is a good team, so the way it started was a little surprising. Once I saw the tape, I actually got interested in Green Bay and really thought about their numbers,” he said. Now that I actually look at their players and how they do it, I’m not surprised at all.”
Upsets happen, but it was amazing how the Packers won 48-32 away at AT&T Stadium, leading 27-0 at the half and expanding to a 48-16 lead early in the fourth quarter.
After the Cowboys were brutally eliminated from the postseason, the 49ers sat on the sidelines last week and strengthened their hold on their status as the winningest team in the NFC.
That break ends Saturday night as the 49ers embark on extra postseason play with an NFC divisional playoff game against the Packers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
There is evidence to suggest it will be a tough battle for the Niners (12-5).
They scored an NFL-high 491 points this season, the second-most points in a season in franchise history.
His 61 touchdowns and 6,773 total yards are also the second-most in franchise history.
The defense's 22 interceptions tied for the league lead, and the defense's 17.5 points per game allowed was third in the league behind the Ravens and Chiefs.
A well-balanced team and management.
The 49ers know how to beat the Packers this time of year.
They've eliminated Aaron Rodgers from the playoffs four times, including twice in the past four years.
Rodgers is now with the Jets, and his replacement in Green Bay, Jordan Love, is having a Rodgers-type production with the Packers (10-8).
In the past nine games, Love has thrown 21 touchdown passes and one interception.
He had an incredible playoff debut, completing 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns in the stunning rout of Dallas.
Niners pass rusher extraordinaire Nick Bosa said, “They have a lot of the same players from the past, they've got a really good team, and they've got a quarterback who does exactly what he's coached to do.” “Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer and an unbelievable player, but he was beyond coaching in some ways. Sometimes it's good to have a player who does what you're coached to do.”
Love, 25, is only one year older than the 49ers' Brock Purdy, 24, but his path to the starting quarterback role could not be more different.
The Packers acquired Love late in the first round (26th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, even though Rodgers was playing at a high level.
Love sat on the bench behind Rodgers for three seasons before getting his chance.
Purdy was an afterthought, drafted by Mr. Irrelevant with the final pick (No. 262) in the 2022 draft, and Purdy's voice was heard last season when injuries and underperformance to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo left the Niners with no options. It took. And while surrounded by offensive playmakers, he helped lead the team to the NFC Championship Game.
He injured his right elbow in this game, and the 49ers lost to the Eagles 31-7.
The 49ers have fallen one game short of making the Super Bowl in recent years, losing to the Rams 20-17 in the 2021 NFC title game.
For the Niners to qualify for their third consecutive NFC Championship Game, they must first get past the Packers.
“I'm excited,” All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams said. “This is something we've been waiting for all year, especially after last year ended like this. The regular season is fun, but the regular season also has its own challenges. But when you get that close like last year… Then you want to fast forward to the regular season and go back to this tournament.”
