The Green Bay Packers are going well beyond the expectations, and now they are going to face their biggest challenge. On Saturday, the youngest team in the NFL goes to Santa Clara to face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.

It's a big-time matchup, and also a great opportunity for some players to step up. Jordan Love is obviously an imperative piece for the Packers success at Levi's Stadium, but let's go beyond him to find players who need to perform well for Green Bay to have a shot.

Aaron Jones

The running back had only 3.4 yards per carry in that 2021 playoff game. And the taste in the fans' mouths was worse because he had a big reception at the end of the first half, but couldn't score. However, it's a new season and a new opportunity for Jones. Since he's fully healthy again after hamstring and knee injuries earlier this season, Jones has been on the most effective running backs in football, and he's responsible for the Packers running game resurgence.

More important than that, the 49ers defense is not the same. Under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, it is a below-average run defense — 24th in success rate and 26th in rush EPA throughout the season. If the Packers want to protect the defense and give Jordan Love better circumstances, Aaron Jones will be a key.

Christian Watson

Watson has never faced the San Francisco 49ers, and there are secondary pieces to be exploited beyond Charvarius Ward. Against the Dallas Cowboys, Watson didn't have a big performance coming off injury, but he was still an important decoy.

On several occasions, Matt LaFleur designed plays to take advantage of Watson's deep speed, opening up underneath lanes for Romeo Doubs.

He is the Packers' most explosive player, the best deep and redzone threat. With an extra week to get his hamstring better, Watson can be a truly impactful player.

Rasheed Walker

In the 2021 playoffs, the Packers' coaching staff made a questionable decision to start Billy Turner at left tackle and Dennis Kelly at right tackle, benching Yosh Nijman. With Turner on the left side, 49ers edge defender Nick Bosa destroyed the game, applying pressure at a crazy rate.

Bosa hasn't played as well in 2023 as he did in 2022, when he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. However, he's still a highly impactful player and has the potential to affect a game in multiple ways. Enter Rasheed Walker.

The second-year seventh-round pick has progressed well through his first year as a full-time starter, including tough matchups — over the last two weeks, for example, he helped limit Montez Sweat and Micah Parsons. This is his biggest challenge, but also an opportunity to show what he can be in the NFL.

De'Vondre Campbell

Kyle Shanahan loves to pick up defensive weaknesses and exploit them over and over. Throughout this season, De'Vondre Campbell in coverage has been a big liability for the Packers. It's kind of surprising, since coverage was his calling card in 2021, when he was a First-Team All-Pro selection.

This season, opposing quarterbacks targeting Campbell are 18/31 for 390 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 135.7 passer rating.

He played relatively well against the Cowboys, with a 64.0 PFF grade — considered average. If he has an average game against the 49ers, it might be considered a success.

Darnell Savage

Savage was not only the best Packers defender in the wild-card round, he was PFF's highest-graded defender in the entire NFL, with a 92.1 elite grade. The pick-six on Dak Prescott obviously looms large, but it was much more than that.

He was instinctive, fast, and smart to affect the offense. Especially with Jaire Alexander handling an ankle injury and with the Packers' lack of cornerback depth, safety protection is a big factor, and Savage is by far Green Bay's most talented player at the position.

How will the Packers limit their biggest weakness against the 49ers

San Francisco will try to exploit Green Bay’s defensive scheme failure