SANTA CLARA — The hope was defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who had a knee injury in the regular season finale, would be able to return for the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl should the 49ers get that far.
That won’t happen. Ferrell was placed on injured reserve Saturday, which carries a four-game minimum absence and means the 17-game starter won’t play again this season.
Ferrell was placed on IR in advance of a divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers in order to activate safety and special teams player George Odum, who missed the last six games of the season on the injured list after a torn biceps. The 49ers also activated two practice squad players — defensive lineman T.Y. McGill and Alex Barrett.
Ferrell signed a one-year contract with the 49ers worth $2.5 million as a free agent after the Raiders declined his fifth-year option. Ferrell was the No. 4 overall pick and the Ted Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s top defensive lineman out of Clemson the same year Nick Bosa was No. 2. While Ferrell never was as dominant as No. 4 pick would indicate, he had a solid year for the 49ers with Bosa saying “Clelin had the best effort on the team.”
In 17 games, Ferrell had 28 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and 13 quarterback hits.
Chase Young, acquired by trade from Washington, will start and get an expanded role.
MOSTERT MEMORIES: The last time the 49ers played the Packers in the postseason at Levi’s Stadium, Raheem Mostert rushed for 220 yards on 29 carries with four touchdowns after a modest regular season in which he led the team with 772 yards rushing and didn’t start in the regular season.
The 49ers rushed for 285 yards on 42 attempts and weren’t compelled to pass after jumping to a 27-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was 6 of 8 for 77 yards and threw only two passes in the second half. At that point, Mostert had 160 yards on 14 carries including a 36-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring.
Linebacker Oren Burks, who played for the Packers in 2019, remembers it well.
“That was the game plan at the beginning, to stop the run,” Burks said this week. “We couldn’t get that done, and in the NFL you’ve got to figure out a way to stop the run.”
DIVISIONAL DOMINANCE: The 49ers come in to the game with an 18-7 record in divisional round games dating back to the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 have won the last six straight over Dallas (19-12 in 2022), the Packers (13-10 in 2021), Minnesota (27-10 in 2019), Carolina (23-10 in 2013), Green Bay (45-31 in 2012) and New Orleans (36-32 in 2011).
The last 49ers loss in the divisional round was 31-6 at Tampa Bay in 2002, with the Buccaneers going on to beat Philadelphia for the NFC title and then the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXV.
The NFC Championship Game has been a different story. After those 18 divisional wins, the 49ers are 7-11 with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line, including losses in each of the past two seasons to Philadelphia (31-7) and the L.A. Rams (20-17).
The win have come against the Packers (37-20 in 2019), Atlanta (28-24 in 2012), Dallas (38-28 in 1994), the L.A. Rams (30-3 in 1989), Chicago (28-3 in 1988 and 23-0 in 1984) and Dallas (28-27 in 1981).
LOOKING FOR 55: A win over Green Bay would advance the 49ers’ season another week and assure a 55th playoff game since 1980. That would tie New England for the most in the NFL during that span.
