5 Big Questions Revisited from Green Bay Packers v. 49ers

Before we turn the page from what was another disappointing playoff loss for the Green Bay Packers, we are going to take a look back at my 5 Big Questions that faced this team entering their NFC Divisional Round matchup and how these keys to the game turned out.

Q: Can Green Bay Packers defense take advantage of turnover opportunities?

A: For the most part, yes

The Green Bay Packers finished the regular season as one of the more opportunistic defenses in football, tallying 26 takeaways, which was good for the eighth-most this season, including 18 interceptions, the sixth-most.

Although this 49ers’ offense relies heavily on the run, and Jimmy Garoppolo averages the fourth-fewest pass attempts per game, he still threw 12 interceptions and his interception rate of 2.7 percent was the 10th most. In short, chances are that Garoppolo is going to give you a turnover opportunity or two each game. And he did on Saturday as well.

Adrian Amos came up with a huge interception in the red zone as San Francisco was threatening to score. Unfortunately, that was the only takeaway this stout Packers defense would come away with. Eric Stokes had what potentially could have been a pick-6, but he had his head down trying to make the tackle in the flat–if his eyes were up, he very likely could have taken it back for a touchdown. De’Vondre Campbell also came close to an interception in the flat as well.

Taking away the middle of the field from Garoppolo — an area he targets heavily — and forcing him to throw to the boundaries was always going to be key for this defense, and these three plays are examples of why.