Green Bay Packers: Getting to Know the 49ers & Predictions
By Paul Bretl
Can you catch Packer fans up on how the rest of the season went for the Niners after week 12?
Justin: The 49ers went just 3-2 in the five games following their Week 12 victory over the Green Bay Packers, but given their opponents, it’s hard to complain. Victories over the New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, and a resurgent Los Angeles Rams team highlighted a late-season stretch with close losses to both the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons (we’ll get to that in a moment) putting a damper on things.
The 49ers dealt with numerous injuries but, with the help of a first-round bye, were able to return some key players and handily defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round last week. San Francisco appears to be back to full strength ahead of their matchup this week with Green Bay.
Takeaway: The 49ers’ getting healthy is my biggest takeaway from their last six games. If you recall before their Week 12 meeting with the Green Bay Packers, a big story line was the injuries that the Niners had suffered to some key players. However, they would still go on to dominate. And although Green Bay has improved since their last meeting, it looks like San Francisco has as well. Especially with just being healthier.
In week 15, SF surprisingly lost to Atalanta. What were the major reasons for that?
Justin: The 49ers fell victim to the dreaded trap game when they lost in dramatic fashion to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. San Francisco was dealing with a myriad of injuries and came out flat at home taking on a Falcons team that was playing better than their record showed.
Outside of George Kittle, nobody else could do a thing in the passing game and the running game struggled with multiple injuries along the offensive line. Still, the 49ers obviously had the talent to overcome the injuries. But after a grueling three-week stretch that included games against the Packers, Ravens, and Saints, the 49ers simply fell flat and overlooked their opponents. The result was a disappointing loss.
Takeaway: This game for San Francisco sounds awfully familiar to what we saw from Green Bay in Week 17 against Detroit. Fortunately for the Packers, they were able to come from behind and secure that first-round bye. However, in their film study, hopefully the Green Bay coaching staff may have been able to glean some new strategies when it comes to attacking this 49ers team.