There is nothing sweeter in sports than revenge.
That's exactly what's on Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love's mind as he prepares to host the 49ers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
"I think just ending the season, getting into the playoffs and then being knocked out by the 49ers, whoever it would've been, that game is definitely going to sit with you," Love said after practice Wednesday. "And that's what you got to sit with all offseason. Going back and watching that game and seeing what you could've done better, what you could've done differently.
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"So it definitely sits with you through the offseason and obviously you move on, but just knowing that's the team that knocked us out, we're definitely hungry for this game."
After an up-and-down start to the 2023 NFL season, Love led the Packers to six wins in their final eight games of the regular season to earn a wild-card matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Green Bay defeated Dallas 48-32 and advanced to a divisional-round meeting with San Francisco at Levi's Stadium.
The matchup was four quarters of tense football that came down to the wire, and when Love had an opportunity to lead a potentially game-tying or game-winning drive, his pass intended for Christian Watson was intercepted by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw to seal the game.
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The 24-21 loss -- and the way it unfolded -- left a bad taste in Love's mouth.
"Definitely. Having them being the team that knocked us out last year definitely plays a factor, but at the end of the day, [they're] an NFC opponent and since I've been here, we've had a lot of games against the Niners," Love said. "So I want to go out there and get this win."
Love confessed he re-watched film from the game more than once over the offseason, guessing about three times.
What did he learn from watching it over and over again?
"The main takeaway is it sucks losing," he said. "Getting knocked out of the playoffs, there's going to be things that we see, plays that we'll see, plays they did on defense that gave us fits and things that we did well."
Of course, it's a new season and a new game. Love and the Packers are 7-3 while the 49ers are struggling at 5-5.
But as much as he'd like to focus on the present and future, a part of the past will fuel Love's mindset entering Sunday's game.
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