Five Packers to watch vs. 49ers in Week 12 matchup

5. Aaron Rodgers

I started with an obvious choice and I am ending with an obvious choice. There are not any more important people to a team than a head coach and quarterback, but with this new marriage, it is that much more important to this team’s success.

The two seem to be finding their groove together. LaFleur has got Rodgers making plays on time and putting his best weapons, Aaron Jones and Davante Adams, in the best positions possible to impact the game. Rodgers has blended playing within the system and making off-schedule plays as best as could be expected.

Rodgers is 2-4 against his hometown team and 1-2 in San Francisco, including playoffs. Rodgers also has not had his best showings against the 49ers with last year’s last-second victory being the best to date.

This just feels like a game Rodgers comes out and dominates. In primetime against the team he grew up rooting for with playoff positions on the line. Seems like the perfect recipe for a Rodgers classic.

The bye is over and Thanksgiving is approaching. By now, most teams know what they do and don’t do well. From here on out is about hitting your stride and playing well at the right time. At the start of the season, not many would have predicted this game would mean so much. Few, if any, thought this game could weigh so heavily in the race for home-field advantage.

Yet here we are. The Packers have a chance to take the driver’s seat in the NFC. A win puts them in first position and everyone else chasing them. Right where they want to be.