The Green Bay Packers' blowout wild-card round win over the Dallas Cowboys stunned the watching NFL world, but it also helped San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan get a head start on his preparations for the divisional round.

As the number one seed in the NFC and owner of the sole first-round bye, the 49ers had to play the waiting game to find out who their opponent would be.

For Shanahan, though, the wait was not a long one, as the seven seed Packers remarkably surged to a 27-0 lead in the second quarter against Dallas, leading him to halt preparations for all other potential opponents and focus in on Green Bay.

"We were already in here so were doing it that day," Shanahan said when asked when he started preparing for the Packers. 

"We had mixed in a little bit earlier in the week but started really focusing on them halfway through the second quarter.

"Then they [Dallas] scored at the end of the second quarter so I kind of did both at halftime and then third quarter I was set on one team."

The 49ers had potentially faced waiting until Monday's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles to find out which team they would be facing.

But Shanahan's old colleague Matt LaFleur did him a favor through Green Bay's hot start, inadvertently potentially putting the 49ers in an even better position for a game for which they are heavy favorites.

The Packers will hope to upset the odds again and end the 49ers' Super Bowl hopes on Saturday, however, if the Niners are hoisting the Lombardi Trophy come February 11, their success could be in part attributed to a helping hand from Green Bay.

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