Green Bay Packers at 49ers: 4 BIG Questions Heading into Thursday Night

Here are four big questions to mull over before the Green Bay Packers take on the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.

It was certainly a disappointing loss on Sunday to Minnesota, but the Green Bay Packers are going to have to find a way to bounce back against the dreaded San Francisco 49ers, who are having their own struggles this season. The Niners sit at just 4-4 and have battled injuries for much of the year, including tonight’s game, where they are decimated.

I’ll get into it later in the article, but San Francisco is down a lot of key players and starters for this game. Although the Green Bay Packers also have injuries to deal with along with three players on the COVID/reserve list, it’s nothing compared to what the 49ers are dealing with.

After last season, I know the Niners are like the boogeyman, but the Packers will have more talent on the field. So with that in mind, I’ve put together my four big questions for this NFC matchup.

Can the Green Bay Packers stop the run game?

Let’s get the big question out of the way. You know it, I know it, the Green Bay Packers know it; San Francisco is going to run the ball. But can Green Bay stop it?

The Niners will be without Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, and their offensive line is banged up as well, which certainly helps the Packers. But based on what we saw against Minnesota, I can’t say that I’m terribly confident in Mike Pettine and this defense.

If the Packers can slow the run, it will put the game in the hands of Nick Mullens, which is what you want. It’s now or never for this defense, and if they struggle again against the run, then there really is no hope.

Is Mike Pettine coaching for his job?

Earlier this week, I wrote an article discussing how it’s really now or never for Mike Pettine. And while I’m not a big fan of firing a coach midseason, you have to imagine that a poor performance against San Francisco all but seals Pettine’s fate, whether that be Friday morning or at the end of the year.

In key areas such as red-zone defense, turnovers, and quarterback pressures, the defense has fallen off a cliff compared to 2019. While the players are absolutely at fault, Pettine is the play-caller, and you can certainly make the argument that he isn’t putting his players in the best positions to be successful, not to mention that we continue to see the same issues each week.

As I’ve already mentioned, the Niner offense is depleted, and we all know they’re going to run the ball. If Pettine and this defense can’t stop them tonight, well, then they probably never will.

What will we see from Dexter Williams?

Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon are already out, and there is “pessimism” surrounding Aaron Jones’ status for tonight. That means Dexter Williams will be the traditional RB1 against San Francisco. A former sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame, Williams is a great fit for Matt LaFleur’s outside-zone running scheme with his burst and one-cut ability.

However, in his limited action, we’ve seen him struggle in pass protection, drop passes, and be hesitant as a runner. In addition to Williams, we will also see Tyler Ervin and likely John Lovett as well, to help take some of the burden off of him in these weaker areas. Even if the Packers don’t run the ball very efficiently, it is still going to be important for the 49ers to respect it. This can still open things up for Aaron Rodgers and the passing game.

Dexter Williams has a prime opportunity in front of him, not to mention that he won’t have to face Nick Bosa or Dee Ford on the defensive front, so what will he do with it?

Can the Green Bay Packers take advantage of a banged-up Niner team?

To put it simply, this San Francisco team is depleted, oh, and I mean depleted. On defense, they will be without Dee Ford, Nick Bosa, and Richard Sherman. While on offense, they won’t have Jimmy Garoppol, Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and a few offensive linemen as well.

I know that after Sunday’s performance against Minnesota, along with the way the 49ers dominated the Packers in 2019, it’s easy to be pessimistic and worried about tonight’s game. But the Green Bay Packers are easily going to be the more talented team on the field, even without their top-3 running backs. They should absolutely win this game against a beaten up Niners squad.