Za’Darius Smith: Game wrecker
There aren’t a lot of arguments outside of Smith for the honor of best defender on the Packers. The fact he wasn’t an All-Pro or Pro Bowler despite racking up 13.5 sacks, 37 quarterback hits and dominating in just about every statistic related to quarterback pressures. He’s also Pro Football Focus’ second-highest graded run defender. Smith is the type of player who can wreak havoc on everything the 49ers do offensively, and if he has a monster game, San Francisco will have a lot of trouble moving the football.
How the 49ers combat this concern:
They’ll have to put multiple bodies on Smith and ensure he’s not getting free runs at Garoppolo. Tight end George Kittle should get some time helping block him, and any slot receiver on that side should crash down and hit him too. The 49ers will have to get creative, but just making life difficult for Smith will nullify the Packers’ biggest defensive threat.