From left, Green Bay center Corey Linsley, guard Elgton Jenkins and offensive tackle David Bakhtiari sit on the Packers’ bench during the second half of the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP photo)

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The 2019 season for the Green Bay Packers marked the dawn of a new era.

Matt LaFleur took over and won more games than any first-year coach in franchise history.

The final result again fell short of the Packers’ goal of winning it all, but this time it had a different feeling, according to Aaron Rodgers.

The two-time MVP was on the losing end of the NFC championship game in his third consecutive appearance.

There was the overtime loss at Seattle in the title game in the 2014 season, the 23-point rout at Atlanta in the conference championship in the 2016 season and Sunday’s 37-20 defeat to the Super Bowl-bound 49ers.

But the 36-year-old Rodgers said the latest loss isn’t like the others.

“It’s a lot different feel,” he said Sunday night. “I remember in those moments the emotion compared to this. I feel really confident in (general manager) Brian (Gutekunst) and the job that he’s done and his staff. They did go all-in — as much as they could — this year and the pieces that they brought in. I’m confident that he’s going to continue to add to this squad. So, that part is very exciting. It is a lot different feel than three years ago.”

Gutekunst spent big on the defense in free agency last March. The second-year general manager acquired pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith and veteran safety Adrian Amos. The Packers also used both of their 2019 first-round picks on defenders (outside linebacker Rashan Gary at No. 12 and safety Darnell Savage at No. 21).

Both Smiths invigorated the defense and revitalized themselves, as each had a career high in sacks (Za’Darius, 13 1/2; Preston, 12)

But after being a large reason why Green Bay was 13-3 this season, swept its division and finished as the No. 2 seed in the NFC, that same re-tooled unit was largely to blame for Sunday’s loss because of its inability to stop the run.

The Packers’ leaky run defense, which was in the bottom third of the league for most of the season, allowed 220 yards and four touchdowns to Raheem Mostert, a running back who had been cut seven times in his career.