3 things Packers must do to beat 49ers in divisional round

Lean on AJ Dillon

The Packers have the perfect running back for cold-weather playoff games in January. Aaron Jones will have a big role to play this week, but Matt LaFleur should lean on talented second-year running back AJ Dillon.

Including their victory over the Cowboys in the wild-card round, the 49ers have won 11 games this season. In those games combined, they’ve allowed 991 rushing yards, or 90 yards per game.

Compare that to the seven games they’ve lost. In seven defeats, the 49ers have allowed 846 yards on the ground, which is just under 121 rushing yards per game. For the most part, teams that have had success against the 49ers have been able to run the football.

In frozen conditions at Lambeau Field, this will be even more important.

The 49ers have a scary pass rush. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the 49ers had 22 pressures and a 45.8 percent pressure rate against the Cowboys on Sunday. And that’s despite missing Nick Bosa for much of the game. If the Packers can’t run the ball, the 49ers’ pass rush could begin to take over the game.

One way to cool the pass rush is to run the ball and run it well. Dillon has been outstanding this season and wears defenses down.

Green Bay has a run block win rate of 73 percent, fourth-best in the NFL, according to ESPN. They come up against a strong run defense this week — the 49ers ranked seventh against the run and third in run stop win rate.

But if the Packers’ offense is going to find success against the 49ers, it starts with the run. Enter AJ Dillon.