Packers Vs. 49ers LIVE Updates: Aaron Rodgers, Colin Kaepernick Set For Candlestick Duel

LIVE: Packers vs. 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Ahead of the 2005 NFL Draft, the choice for the San Francisco 49ers was between Utah quarterback Alex Smith and Cal QB Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers passed on the quarterback who had made his name in the Bay Area and went with Smith with the No. 1 overall pick. Rodgers would slide all the way to No. 24, when the Packers mercifully took him off the board.

Several years later, Rodgers returns to Northern California at the helm of a dynamic Packers offense. Smith? He'll be holding a clipboard -- barring an injury or an unexpected trick play -- while Colin Kaepernick leads the 49ers' offense. After leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game last season, Smith lost his starting spot this season after a concussion. A dynamic, dual-threat player, Kaepernick took the reins of Jim Harbaugh's offense while Smith was sidelined and never let go.

"Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback," Kaepernick told ESPN ahead of the game. "You see what he does on the field and you see performances he's been having, so you can't say enough about the guy. We're going to have to go out and put up points."

The Packers stifled another dual-threat quarterback in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, limiting surprise starter Joe Webb en route to a 24-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. If Clay Matthews and the Packers' defense can contain Kaepernick with as much as success then they'll likely avenge a Week 1 loss to the 49ers at Lambeau Field.

Will the rested 49ers advance to the NFC Championship Game? Will Harbaugh have any tricks up his sleeve (perhaps involving Smith) after two weeks of preparation for the Packers? Or will Rodgers make his return to the Bay Area a triumphant one?

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