The Green Bay Packers got game-changing performances from Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, scored 21 points off turnovers and easily dispatched the reeling San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
The win — a comfortable 38-10 victory — improved the Packers’ record to 8-3 after 12 weeks.
A short turnaround is up next. The Packers must evaluate this win, put it bed and then recover and prep for Thursday’s visit from the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving Night.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the 49ers:
The Good
Dominant win over short-handed foe: Facing a team without their starting quarterback, future Hall of Fame left tackle and top edge rusher, the Packers grabbed an early lead and never really looked back. While the 49ers cut the lead to 10 and were threatening a run to start the second half, the Packers still led by two or three scores for nearly the whole game and finished with a 28-point win. This was a dominant, commanding win — just what you’d expect from a contender playing at home against a reeling, undermanned opponent.
Free agent signings: Josh Jacobs rushed for 106 yards, scored three touchdowns and set a new season-high in the NFL for missed tackles forced. Xavier McKinney broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Christian McCaffrey and snagged his seventh interception of the season, providing the second-half turning point. Where would the Packers be without Jacobs and McKinney?
Maligned first-round picks: Rashan Gary, Quay Walker and Lukas Van Ness haven’t been the dominant players most expected in 2024, but each first-rounder made a big play on Sunday. Gary had a strip-sack ending a drive, Walker delivered two tackles for a loss and Van Ness created a game-sealing turnover in the second half. This defense would look a lot different if Gary, Walker and Van Ness start consistently making disruptive plays.
Red zone success: The Packers scored touchdowns on all five trips inside the red zone, and even overcame a penalty on the first trip. Progress! If the Packers start consistently scoring inside the 20, this offense is going to get red-hot down the stretch. Josh Jacobs and Tucker Kraft were the red-zone stars on Sunday.
The Bad
Covering Kittle: 49ers tight end George Kittle had his way with the Packers defense. He caught all six targets for 82 yards, including a touchdown from Brandon Allen and a 31-yarder in the second half. Kittle is a tough cover, to be fair, and his back-shoulder catch was a terrific individual play.
The Ugly
Watson drop: No two ways around it — Christian Watson’s drop was an inexcusable play from a receiver coming off his best game of the season. Watson used his elite speed to get deep and was wide open for what would have been a 49-yard touchdown to end the first half, but the ball clanked off his hands and fell harmlessly to the Lambeau Field turf. The drop didn’t end up costing the Packers, but it kept the game close going into the half. Watson is supremely talented, but consistency remains his biggest hurdle. This drop was all too reminiscent of his first play from scrimmage as a rookie.