Attempting to slow this San Francisco 49ers offense during Saturday’s NFC Divisional Round starts with the Green Bay Packers’ ability to limit their yards after the catch (YAC) opportunities.
Tackling in football is always important. But against the YAC-heavy Niners, the Packers’ success in this area – or lack thereof, depending on how things play out – could be the difference between this game becoming a blowout versus this game staying somewhat in reach.
“They do a great job,” said Matt LaFleur of the 49ers’ YAC abilities, “whether there was a great clip in the Philly game where Deebo catches a 5-yard under route and he breaks I-don’t-know-how-many tackles and he takes it 50 yards or whatever it was. All those guys collectively they pose a great challenge.”
Brock Purdy ranked 20th among quarterbacks in the regular season in pass attempts of 20 or more yards. However, the 49ers’ offense ranked first in pass plays of 20-plus yards and third in pass plays of 40-plus yards.
In part, this is a product of Purdy being efficient with the downfield throws he made, completing a league-high 63.8 percent of them. But it also goes to show how dangerous these Niners pass catchers are with the ball in their hands.
At receiver, Deebo Samuel ranked eighth in total YAC, while Brandon Aiyuk finished 21st. Tight end George Kittle had the fourth-most among tight ends. Christian McCaffrey would finish with the 11th most YAC at running back.
“Yeah, they do a great job,” added LaFleur. “They’ve got really multiple guys. There’s at least four guys over there that can get yards after contact. That’s why I think it’s so imperative that you have to swarm as a defense. You’ve got to have multiple bodies in position to make tackles, and you truly have to gang tackle these guys.”
As a collective defense, the Packers’ tacking ability this season has been hit and miss–pun intended. There have been games where missed tackles ran rampant. The Pittsburgh and Atlanta games come to mind. Then there have been others where they’ve been fairly sound.
Overall, it’s been a mixed bag. The Packers have 101 missed tackles on the season, according to Pro Football Reference, which ranks in the bottom half of the NFL.
“I think our tackling’s been, at times, very inconsistent,” said defensive coordinator Joe Barry. “Any time you look at a defense and no matter what time of the year, if a defense goes out on Sunday and plays well, usually they’ve tackled well. And vice-versa when they don’t.”
It’s not only about the individual defenders making tackles, but as LaFleur mentioned, there needs to be a swarming mentality, with all 11 players rallying to the football to limit those YAC opportunities that the 49ers are so good at generating.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen improved play from the Packers defense. As always, there are a myriad of reasons, but one in particular is that we’ve seen a greater variety of blitzes, more disguising of coverages, and tighter coverage in certain situations. All of which illustrate that tangible game plan and schematic changes have been made.
Against San Francisco, that adaptive approach may have to continue. To limit YAC opportunities and to muddy things up over the middle where Purdy often targets his pass-catchers, it may take the Packers’ defense shrinking the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage. This could also help them in the run game as well.
This doesn’t guarantee that tackles will be made, but it puts more defenders in a confined space–increasing your chances of success. A downside is that the Packers could end up being more susceptible over the top to the downfield pass. But when it comes to this Niners’ offense, you’ve got to pick your poison.
As LaFleur frequently says, explosive plays lead to points. So, in an effort to keep this game from getting out of hand, the Packers need to limit those pesky yards after the catch as best they can.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Christian, Deebo, George, Aiyuk, all these guys are really incredible after the catch,” added Barry. “Breaking tackles, getting those YAC yards. I think that’s a huge part of us playing well this week is that we’re going to have tackle really well and limit the YAC after the catch.”