Good evening, everyone. On Sunday night, the Green Bay Packers will be taking on the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. This will be the 4th time in the last 3 seasons that the Packers face the 49ers on their home turf in Santa Clara, California. Not only that, but it will be the first road game against a full crowd since the 2019 NFC Championship game in Santa Clara. I am here to give you my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to win this game and get to 2-1 on the season. Without further delay, let’s get started.
On offense, it will all depend on the performance of the offensive line. With Elgton Jenkins out due to an ankle injury, head coach Matt LaFleur and OL coach Adam Stenavich have to figure out the best lineup to take on the 49ers defensive front (which includes Nick Bosa and Dee Ford). I have confidence that they will find the best lineup. For the O-Line (plus any additional blockers), their job is to create the running lanes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to go through. I think that the best way to keep the pass rush at bay is to run the ball at them. There may be plays where the runners don’t get much yardage. Even with that, running the ball can keep that 49ers defense honest and help protect Aaron Rodgers. For the passing game, I think that Rodgers needs to get the ball out of his hands quickly with short passes. Hopefully he has an opportunity to take a deep shot to Davante Adams or Marquez Valdes-Scantling. I wouldn’t be surprised if the running backs get used in the passing game. Rodgers and the receivers need to be on the same page all game long. For Rodgers, he needs to throw accurately to the receivers. In turn, they need to catch each ball that is thrown by him. What’s most important for the Packers offense is to avoid turnovers and convert third downs on their way to long touchdown drives. When they get in the red zone (or what they call the “Gold Zone”), touchdowns need to be scored instead of field goals. As long as everyone does their job, I think that the Packers offense will score at least 4 touchdowns on Sunday night.
On defense, the key for the Packers is to stop the running game. Even with the 49ers having injury problems at the RB position (especially with Raheem Mostert out for the season with a knee injury), the defensive front (which includes Kenny Clark) needs to get off the blocks and tackle the ball carrier for minimum gain (no missed tackles at all). If the defense is able to keep the run game in check, then they can get after QB Jimmy Garoppolo. It can’t be just a 4-man rush. There needs to be an extra person getting after the quarterback. For the defensive backs (including Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, Adrian Amos, and Eric Stokes), they need to do their job in covering the 49ers receivers well. Those receivers include Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk, among others. I am hoping that Eric Stokes gets more snaps and opportunities to shine and (hopefully) get a pick on Garoppolo. It doesn’t matter how the Packers defense generates turnovers on Sunday night. Any turnover can give the Packers offense another chance to score points and quiet down the crowd at Levi’s Stadium. What’s most important for the defense is getting off the field after third downs and not giving up long drives for touchdowns to the 49ers. It will be tough for the Packers defense on Sunday night, but I think that they will be able to get the key stops in crunch time.
On Special Teams, the key for the Packers is to not make game-changing mistakes. The return coverage team needs to make sure that whoever returns the ball for the 49ers doesn’t break out a huge return that goes all the way for a touchdown. For Mason Crosby, he should plan to kick to the end zone for a touchback each time. For Corey Bojorquez, he needs to punt the ball deep into 49ers territory (and hopefully out of bounds in addition to that). On occasions where that can’t happen, the coverage unit (including the punter) needs to tackle the returner for minimum yardage. On the other side, I hope that there is a long kick or punt return by either Kylin Hill or Amari Rodgers that doesn’t get called back due to penalty. Mason Crosby also needs to continue making each kick, including field goals and extra point kicks. As long as Hunter Bradley snaps the ball accurately and the line doesn’t allow kicks to be blocked, I am sure that everything will go smooth with each kick attempt. Bojorquez also needs to secure the hold on each field goal and PAT attempt. Hopefully the Special Teams unit can continue to be solid for Green Bay.
I have to admit that it will be a tough game for Green Bay on all sides of the ball. This will be the first real road game for the Packers since their 37-20 loss to San Francisco in the 2019 NFC Championship game. I have hope that the Packers will come out of this game with a win and improve their record to 2-1 on the season. Whoever wins this game, I hope that there are no additional injuries (or COVID-19 issues) for both teams. I’ll be back with my post-game thoughts on Monday or Tuesday. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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