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Studs and duds from Packers’ 37-8 loss to 49ers in Week 12

Breaking down the studs and duds from the Packers’ 37-8 loss to the 49ers in Week 12 of the 2019 season.

The San Francisco 49ers turned the Green Bay Packers from a contender into a pretender on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, the site of a complete dismantling of Matt LaFleur’s team on Sunday night.

The Packers are now 8-3, with two complete meltdowns in the last four weeks.

Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ 37-8 loss to the 49ers:

Studs

OLB Za’Darius Smith: Credit Smith for taking advantage of one of the Packers’ few favorable matchups. He gave backup left tackle Justin Skule a lot of trouble on the edge. The Packers defensive captain beat Skule clean for a sack in the first half, which eventually led to a rare punt. Twice, he helped the Packers get off the field with quick pressures and hits on Jimmy Garoppolo. He helped provide a second of hope in the second half when he beat a double team and wrestled Garoppolo down to force a stop to start the third quarter. There was no quit in No. 55.

Duds

C Corey Linsley: The Packers’ veteran center is one of the team’s most consistent players, but he had a really tough night in San Francisco. He was at least partially responsible for three of offense’s bad runs. D.J. Jones beat him clean for a run stuff on the second series. Later, on fourth down in 49ers territory, Linsley couldn’t get movement and Aaron Jones got stuffed for no gain. The interior of the 49ers defensive line just overpowered him at times. The struggles leaked into his distribution. On several shotgun snaps, Linsley forced Aaron Rodgers into making really tough catches at his shoetops. A few times, blitzing 49ers linebackers planted him on the ground in the passing game.

QB Aaron Rodgers: It feels cruel to put Rodgers in the “duds” category, given the constant pressure in the pocket and disappearing act from the secondary options in the passing game. But a quarterback can’t drop back to pass 41 times and deliver only 66 net passing yards without shouldering at least some of the blame. The pressure got to Rodgers early and it affected him the rest of the way. Remember when the Patriots made Sam Darnold see ghosts? The 49ers did the same to Rodgers. Even once the game was decided, the offense showed no urgency and Rodgers took no risks to create a big play. If there’s any tangible trust in a receiver not named Davante Adams, Rodgers didn’t show it Sunday night. When it’s all said and done, it’s possible this game will go down as the worst statistical performance of Rodgers’ Hall of Fame career.

LG Elgton Jenkins: The first few series were ugly for the rookie left guard. He’s been fantastic as a pass blocker this season, but he really struggled with the size and speed of DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. The first series was a nightmare. On the third play of the game, Buckner blew past him and was in position to light up Aaron Rodgers. On the very next play, Buckner beat him to the inside and stuffed Aaron Jones. On third down, Buckner beat him to the outside and forced Rodgers up into the pocket for the strip-sack. Armstead knocked him to the ground on a stunt on third down on the second series.

RT Alex Light: The second Bryan Bulaga went out of the game, Bosa moved to the left side of the defense and went to work on the inexperienced backup. A brutal matchup on paper played out exactly that way on the field. Bosa was too fast and too strong for Light. The Packers tried at times to give him help, mostly with chips from running backs and tight ends, but the 49ers did a good job of scheming up one-on-one matchups. Stunts gave Light and Billy Turner a lot of trouble, although the 49ers were doing a lot of holding. On one third down sack, Bosa held Light and allowed Armstead to stunt to the outside and make the play on Rodgers in the pocket.

P JK Scott: It’s tough to figure out what’s happened to Scott, the Packers’ streaky second-year punter. He hit six punts and didn’t have a single kick over 41 yards. This was a game where the Packers absolutely needed a big night from their punter, both to help a struggling offense and flip the field for the defense. Even in perfect conditions, Scott failed to get lift and distance in his kicks and often put the defense in bad spots.

WR Geronimo Allison: He has a lot of fans inside Lambeau Field but Allison is just about unplayable at this point. His third-down drop on the first drive helped set the tone for the nightmare on offense. His three catches gained all of nine yards, with a long of just four yards. Who knows why the Packers keep keeping him the ball at the line of scrimmage and asking him to get yards after the catch. He’s not fast or slippery. It was a tough call, but he got flagged for blocking in the back, short-circuiting another drive.

KR/PR Tremon Smith: He returned two punts for -3 yards and two kicks for 41 yards. On both punt returns, he went backwards and got caught from behind. His second return was a risky play after catching the ball on the bounce. In the second half, Smith let a kickoff bounce at the 2-yard line. He’s lucky it bounced through the end zone for a touchback. The best the Packers can hope for at this point is getting the football at the 25.

CB Kevin King: In-breaking routes continue to terrorize him. On back-to-back snaps in the first quarter, King got beat on a slant by Deebo Samuel and a deep in-breaker by Emmanuel Sanders. Later, George Kittle beat him clean for a big gain on another in-breaking route. The long touchdown to Kittle in the third quarter probably wasn’t on King. The Packers were in a three-deep zone, and when Adrian Amos vacated the middle of the field, King was in a no-win situation, especially when Jaire Alexander was late getting depth in his zone. Teams don’t even bother attacking Alexander anymore because King is the far easier prey.

Packers must get RB Aaron Jones more involved in passing game

For the second straight game, Aaron Jones did not have a catch for the Packers.

It was a night to forget for head coach Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, as the team suffered a 37-8 beat down at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in what was arguably the most important game for the team since the 2016 NFC Championship Game.

Seemingly nothing went right for the Packers offense – or the entire team, for that matter – but what stuck out most was LaFleur’s willingness, or lack thereof, to use running back Aaron Jones in the passing game.

Entering Week 12, quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a league-leading 132.4 passer rating when targeting running backs, according to PFF. Rodgers had a 123.5 passer rating when targeting Jones and 131.9 rating when targeting Williams. Jones had the fourth-highest receiving grade from PFF entering Week 12, while Williams had the third-highest.

But for the second-straight game, Jones didn’t have a catch, and he only has one reception for -1 yard on four targets over the past three games combined.

Despite the clear and obvious lack of production from the Packers receiver group on Sunday night, LaFleur failed to pivot from whatever the coaching staff saw on tape leading up to the game, and continued trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

On a night where receivers Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow caught four passes for 23 yards on 10 combined targets, Jones only saw one target, an incomplete pass on third down in the first half.

Rodgers had just 104 passing yards on 20 completions and 33 attempts, his lowest total since 2015 against the Denver Broncos where he posted just 77 yards.

Simply put, the offensive game plan from the Packers on Sunday was inexcusable, and Jones must be more involved going forward.

Sunday night’s blunder becomes even more staggering when looking at how the season started. In the first eight games, Jones hauled in 34 receptions (42 targets) for 355 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In fact, after the first eight games, Jones was the team’s leader in receptions.

Also noteworthy is the fact that Williams and Jones had a nearly 50/50 split in terms of snap share. Against the 49ers, Jones was on the field for 41-of-80 offensive snaps, while Williams was on the field for 39-of-80 snaps. More importantly, Williams was the go-to guy in the passing game, hauling in seven receptions on eight targets.

For whatever reason, Jones has failed to be involved as a receiver over the past several weeks. LaFleur stated last week that the team used the bye week as an opportunity to “self-scout.” Going forward, he’ll need to recognize that Jones needs to be one of the main focal points on offense, particularly in the passing game.

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7 observations from the Packers’ deflating loss in San Francisco

A few more observations learned from re-watching the Packers’ 37-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

Here are seven more observations from the Green Bay Packers’ disheartening and deflating loss in San Francisco:

1. Interior OL struggles: Alex Light had major issues after taking over for Bryan Bulaga at right tackle, but the interior of the offensive line wasn’t good enough for the Packers to compete on a down-to-down basis. Center Corey Linsley struggled from start to finish and was even having a hard time delivering an accurate snap in the shotgun. He was responsible for several negative runs and pressures. And while Elgton Jenkins has been great as a rookie, the 49ers took him to the woodshed on Sunday night. He was no match for DeForest Buckner or Arik Armstead. A simple theme is emerging: In all three losses this season, the Packers offensive line played poorly.

2. Unafraid: The 49ers didn’t fear the Packers’ vertical passing game and wisely committed to defending the short passing game, knowing their pass rush would eliminate any long-developing plays down the field. At the short to intermediate level, no receiver could get open. The 49ers played mostly zone, kept all eyes on the quarterback and squatted on everything underneath. That allowed the linebackers and safeties to come crashing down against quick passes and make easy tackles after short gains. Jimmie Ward was especially effective reading the game in front of him. The Packers didn’t have a secondary receiving option capable of creating for himself in the middle of the field, or the pass protection to let guys wiggle free in scramble situations.

3. Warner dominates: The 49ers controlled the game with their pass rush, but inside linebacker Fred Warner might have been the best player on the field Sunday night. No. 54 was everywhere, playing downhill against the run and sideline to sideline in coverage. He gobbled up everything the Packers tried to dial up schematically, especially in the short passing game. Oh, and he had the strip-sack of Aaron Rodgers on the first series, setting up a touchdown. The Packers defense could sure use a difference-making inside linebacker like him.

4. Defense folds: The offense deserves the majority of the criticism for Sunday night’s outcome, but the defense’s performance to end the first half was simply unacceptable. With under two minutes to go, Mike Pettine put seven defensive backs on the field to prevent against a big play and the group still got gashed, first for 42 yards and a touchdown by Deebo Samuel and later for 22 yards by George Kittle, setting up a field goal. It didn’t make a difference in the final outcome, but those 10 points were huge. At 23-0, the game was effectively over.

5. More negative plays: The Packers have talked all season and again this past week about eliminating negative plays on offense. Well, they had 13 plays gaining zero yards (not including incompletions) or losing yards on Sunday night, including four completions that lost yards. As a result, 12 of the Packers’ 15 third downs needed to gain at least eight yards.

6. Big issues on long touchdown: After re-watching George Kittle’s 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter, it appears as if several cascading errors were to blame. For starters, the 49ers had the perfect call against the coverage. It probably would have really stressed the call even if everyone played it right. But a couple things went wrong right away. First, safety Darnell Savage bought the run fake and was immediately out of position in his coverage against the crossing tight end (No. 82). That led to Adrian Amos crashing down to help cover the crosser. However, that turned what looked like a three-deep zone on the backend into a two-deep zone, with the middle player completely vacated. It put Kevin King in a no-win spot. He appeared responsible for the deep third toward the sideline, so he backtracked into his zone, but that left Kittle to run free down the middle of the field when he turned his corner route into a post. A great call by the offense combined with bad execution by the defense equals a game-sealing touchdown.

7. San Francisco stunts: Pass-rushing stunts from the 49ers gave the Packers a lot of problems. Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner are big interior rushers who can really move in confined areas, which really stresses an offensive line that’s already worried about getting beat around the edge. The 49ers also took advantage of a few uncalled defensive holding penalties on the stunts. Several times, the edge rusher crashed down and held the tackle in place so the stunting interior rusher could get around the corner and to the quarterback. The Packers must have pointed that out during halftime because officials eventually flagged the 49ers for holding in the second half.

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Good, bad and ugly from the Packers’ loss to the 49ers

Breaking down the good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ 37-8 loss to the 49ers on Sunday night.

The Green Bay Packers went to San Francisco with hopes of delivering a statement win but left the West Coast with a blowout loss that exposed Matt LaFleur’s team and handed the 49ers the inside track at home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ 37-8 loss in San Francisco:

The Good

OLB Za’Darius Smith: The Packers’ defensive captain delivered 1.5 sacks, two tackles for losses and three quarterback hits while winning several one-on-one matchups against backup left tackle Justin Skule. Both of his sacks ended drives on third down.

Adams in the end zone: For the first time since Week 16 of last season, Packers Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams caught a touchdown pass – ending a six-game drought. His 2-yard score on a touch pass from Aaron Rodgers was the lone highlight of the Packers’ miserable night.

The Bad

Defending George Kittle: The 49ers’ All-Pro tight end returned after missing two games with an ankle injury and dominated the Packers in the middle of the field. He caught six passes for a game-high 129 yards and the game-sealing 61-yard touchdown. Three of his catches gained 20 or more yards, including a 22-yarder that set up a field goal before the half. The Packers had no answer. They’ve rarely had an answer for a good tight end this season.

JK Scott: The second-year punter has regressed in a significant way over the last month or so. On Sunday night, Scott hit six punts, and, despite perfect conditions at Levi’s Stadium, not a single one traveled further than 41 yards. He averaged 37.2 per punt. The struggling Packers offense desperately needed Scott to flip the field and help out the defense, especially early. Instead, he put Mike Pettine’s group in bad spots all night.

Third down: The Packers finished 1-for-15 on third down, with the lone conversion coming with backup quarterback Tim Boyle in the game late in the fourth quarter. Of the 15 third downs, 12 required eight or more yards to convert. That’s no way to live against one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing fronts.

Geronimo Allison: He caught three passes for only nine yards, dropped a third-down pass in the first quarter and short-circuited a drive with a block in the back penalty. After 11 games, Allison has 26 catches for 220 yards, with 12 catches of five yards or fewer.

Officiating: Games with significant officiating controversy are just becoming the norm in the NFL. Sunday night got off to an odd start when the side judge flagged Davante Adams for taunting after a first-down catch on the Packers’ first drive. It set a standard the rest of the crew didn’t uphold the rest of the game. Several other early calls were questionable at best, including a hold on David Bakhtiari and a hands to the face penalty on Kevin King. Later, the Packers’ lone touchdown drive was aided along by a handful of ridiculous calls against the 49ers.

Punt returns: Tremon Smith had two decent chances to return a punt and still managed to lose yards on both returns. He had -3 punt return yards total, pushing the Packers’ total to -11 yards after 11 games. The team’s longest punt return of the entire season is one yard. The incompetence of Shawn Mennenga’s return groups is staggering.

Negative yardage plays: The Packers have talked all season about eliminating negative yardage plays. On Sunday night, they had 13 plays that resulted in no gain or lost yards.

The Ugly

Packers passing offense: It’s hard to believe just how unproductive the Packers were in the passing game. Aaron Rodgers dropped back to pass 41 times but finished with just 104 passing yards and 66 net passing yards. He took five sacks, fumbled away the ball on the first drive, averaged 3.2 yards per attempt and 5.2 yards per completion. Rodgers was constantly under pressure, especially after Bryan Bulaga exited in the first half. Even when he wasn’t, he had no one to throw to down the field. Down big, Rodgers took no extra risks to help ignite the offense. No player averaged more than 7.0 yards per catch. Davante Adams was targeted 12 times but managed only 43 yards. Geronimo Allison, Jimmy Graham and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had chances at big plays but couldn’t convert. Aaron Jones was targeted just once. A total and complete failure from the Packers passing offense, with enough blame to go around for everyone, including the playcaller, the quarterback and just about every player in the supporting cast.

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Where do Packers stand in playoff picture after blowout loss to 49ers?

Sunday night’s loss hurt the Packers’ chances of securing a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers’ opportunity to lay claim to the top spot in the NFC came and went on Sunday night in San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers jumped out to a 23-0 halftime lead and eventually slammed the door shut on a 37-8 victory at Levi’s Stadium, giving Kyle Shanahan’s team a 10-1 record and the No. 1 seed in the conference after 12 weeks.

The loss dropped the Packers to 8-3 and prevented Matt LaFleur’s team from becoming the fourth different team in the NFC with nine wins.

Where do the Packers settle in the standings after the defeat?

First, the good news: the Packers still lead the NFC North with five games to go, thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Minnesota Vikings, who were on the bye in Week 12.

NFC North standings:

1. Packers (8-3, 3-0 vs. division)
2. Vikings (8-3, 1-2 vs. division)
3. Bears (5-6, 2-1 vs. division)
4. Lions (3-7-1, 0-3 vs. division)

The Packers play the two-win New York Giants and two-win Washington Redskins the next two weeks before embarking on a three-game gauntlet against the NFC North to finish the season. It’s entirely possible the Packers will be 10-3 going into a Week 15 matchup with the Bears at Lambeau Field. The Vikings are at Seattle next week.

Now, the bad news: The Packers are no longer one of the top two seeds in the NFC. The loss dropped them down one spot to No. 3, behind the 49ers and New Orleans Saints, who survived a scare from the Carolina Panthers earlier Sunday.

NFC standings:

1. 49ers (10-1, next: at Ravens)
2. Saints (9-2, next: at Falcons)
3. Packers (8-3, next: at Giants)
4. Cowboys (6-5, next: vs. Bills)
5. Seahawks (9-2, next: vs. Vikings)
6. Vikings (8-3, next: at Seahawks)

7. Rams (6-4, next: at Cardinals)*
8. Bears (5-6, next: at Lions)
9. Eagles (5-6, next: at Dolphins)
10. Panthers (5-6, next: at Redskins)

*Play Monday night vs. Baltimore Ravens

The Packers play their final five games of the season against the NFC, including four games against teams with losing records. However, three of the games are on the road, including a pivotal game in Minnesota on Dec. 23.

The NFC playoff picture has sharpened some as of late, with five teams with at least eight wins. The Cowboys and Eagles may need all 17 weeks to decide the NFC East, but the other five teams currently possessing playoff spots are on solid footing as of right now. The Rams, at 6-4 going into Monday night, could change that.

The Packers need to take care of business the next two weeks.

Remaining schedule: 

at Giants (2-9)
vs. Redskins (2-9)
vs. Bears (5-6)
at Vikings (8-3)
at Lions (3-7-1)

Combined record: 20-34-1

Even accounting for Sunday night’s loss, the Packers have a 92-93 percent chance of making the postseason and a 67 percent chance of winning the division, according to the New York Times’ playoff predictor.

In the vast majority of simulations, the Packers either secure a first-round bye (roughly 33 percent) or host a wild-card game (36 percent). The team’s most likely record is 12-4 (37 percent).

The Packers will likely be favored in four of the final five games. If they win all four, they’ll finish 12-4 and likely hold off the Vikings in the NFC North.

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Report: Packers hopeful RT Bryan Bulaga avoided significant injury

The Packers believe Bryan Bulaga dodged a major injury, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

The Green Bay Packers are hopeful they’ve dodged a season-changing injury to their offensive line.

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers believe right tackle Bryan Bulaga avoided a major injury to his knee during Sunday night’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Bulaga was injured after being rolled up on by tight end Robert Tonyan during a run play in the first quarter. He left the game and didn’t return.

The Packers replaced Bulaga with second-year offensive tackle Alex Light, who struggled mightily against the 49ers’ talented defensive front.

Demovsky described the injury as “week-to-week,” suggesting there might even be a chance for Bulaga to play next Sunday against the New York Giants.

Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t have an update on Bulaga’s status in the immediate aftermath of the 37-8 defeat.

The Packers have practiced rest and recovery with Bulaga all season in an effort to keep him healthy over the long haul. He started the team’s first 11 games and has played at a Pro Bowl level for much of the season.

The Packers placed offensive lineman Cole Madison on injured reserve on Saturday, opening a roster spot. It’s likely the Packers will need to use that spot to add another offensive tackle.

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49ers expose Packers’ fatal flaws in primetime beat down

The Packers have fatal flaws that need immediate repair if Matt LaFleur’s team wants to be a Super Bowl contender.

More and more, the 2019 Green Bay Packers look like a mirror image of the 2015 Green Bay Packers.

The 2015 Packers started fast but eventually had their fatal flaws exposed, handcuffing a 10-6 team that limped into the playoffs and got beat in the Divisional Round.

That flawed football team scared no one in the passing game, even with Aaron Rodgers under center, and good quarterbacks routinely chewed up Dom Capers’ defense.

Matt LaFleur’s team is slowly but surely blazing a similar path.

For the second time in a month, the Packers went to the West Coast and got blown out. The San Francisco 49ers provided the latest lashing in a 37-8 beat down on Sunday night in Santa Clara. But the location of the games wasn’t the problem either time. It was the matchup.

The Los Angeles Chargers drew up the blueprint on Nov. 3, and the 49ers executed it perfectly Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium. Both teams attacked the Packers’ two primary flaws: The lack of a second target in the passing game and the defense’s inability to cover the middle of the field.

Beating the Packers offense looks more and more simple, especially for teams with good pass-rushing players. Rush four, cover consistently with seven and lean the coverage towards Davante Adams. It’s an effective strategy against any modern offense. The Packers just don’t have another receiver or tight end who can consistently get open or threaten single coverage in the passing game, especially when the defense can commit to flooding areas downfield.

On Sunday night, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Geronimo Allison and Jake Kumerow combined for four catches and 23 yards on 10 targets. Jimmy Graham caught one pass for seven yards.

The Packers got beat up front a lot, especially after losing Bryan Bulaga in the first half. But Rodgers dropped back to pass 41 times and rarely had an open receiver in the progression, at least based on the way he continually held the football even when the blocking held up.

The Packers have gotten by without a legitimate No. 2 receiver, but the lack of a secondary playmaker really showed up in Los Angeles on Nov. 3 and in San Francisco on Sunday night. Teams, if capable, will copy the blueprint, and a lot of teams in the NFC playoff field look capable.

The defense’s fatal flaw has been readily available for the better part of the last two months. Mike Pettine’s group has no answer for receivers, tight ends and running backs in the middle of the field.

On Sunday night, the 49ers scored touchdown passes on explosive plays to Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Both completions were to the middle of the field. Kittle caught six passes for 129 yards, with most of the damage coming between the numbers and against little resistance. Talented tight ends and quick receivers capable of winning on in-breaking routes have given the Packers the most trouble.

The issues covering the middle of the field have resulted in explosive plays almost every week. That’s a problem that started in Week 2 and hasn’t gone away.

Another potential fatal flaw is on special teams, where Shawn Mennenga hasn’t fielded a capable group all season. The unit might have hit rock bottom on Sunday night as punter JK Scott hit one shank after another and the return groups, especially on punts, continue to accomplish nothing.

The Packers haven’t played a complete game this season, but they have produced a pair of three-phase meltdowns.

To their credit, the Packers have won in Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City, and they’ve won five of six games at home. LaFleur’s team has laid the foundation of a legitimate run to the playoffs. And with games against the Giants, Redskins and Lions still to go, getting to 11 wins looks possible, if not likely.

But issues evolve into fatal flaws when they’re big enough and consistent enough to prevent a team from making a deep run in the playoffs, and the Packers’ inability to find a legitimate second target in the passing game or cover the middle of the field or play a complete game have risen to that level.

The loss to the Chargers looked like something of an aberration, a glitch in the matrix. Sunday night proved the issues are embedded much deeper in the software.

Despite a trying month, the Packers still have everything in front of them. An opportunity to win the NFC North and host a playoff game is right there. Getting to 10 or 11 wins and stamping a trip to the playoffs should be all but expected.

But time is running out on LaFleur, Rodgers, Pettine and Mennenga to fix what has been consistently wrong, the problems that plagued the Packers even as they were piling up wins.

The Packers are good, but are they great? And can they take that next step in five weeks? McCarthy’s 2015 team stumbled and never really recovered, a result of flaws they couldn’t fix, even as the Hail Marys were being answered.  LaFleur’s team has similar flaws, but also a chance to write a different ending.

3 takeaways from Packers’ embarrassing blowout loss to 49ers

Three takeaways from the Packers’ 37-8 loss to the 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 12.

In the biggest game of the year, the Green Bay Packers turtled their way to a pathetic 37-8 loss to the NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers.

Coming off the bye week, the Packers had two weeks to prepare with the healthiest roster they’ve had in recent memory and they collapsed in the face of the Niners’ top-notch pass rush.

Aaron Rodgers saw ghosts early, and the team couldn’t find anything in the form of a sustainable offense. The points started to domino thereafter for the 49ers, and the Packers couldn’t respond. Add onto that an early turnover and floundering special teams and you have the recipe for a blowout.

The Packers entered Sunday night’s matchup hoping to prove they were the class of the NFC. What they found out is that they’re currently at least a tier below the upper echelon of the NFC.

Onto the takeaways:

Rodgers, offense flashback to 2015

Yes, losing Bryan Bulaga played a big role, but injuries happen, and Bulaga can’t be the difference between eight points and, say, 24.

The Packers simply couldn’t execute any part of their offense. They struggled to open holes running the football. Aaron Rodgers had little time in the pocket it to throw, and anything downfield was either contested or overthrown.

Rodgers ended his night completing 20 of 33 passes for 104 yards (3.2-yard average). As a team, the Packers averaged 4.0 yards rushing with Rodgers in the game. Rare is the day when your offense is more efficient on the ground than through the air.

In a marquee matchup on Sunday night, Rodgers would exit and Tim Boyle would get mop-up duty.

Let’s start with Rodgers. Given the circumstances, this is one of his poorest games of the season. In the biggest games, you need your high-dollar players to be money. After the Niners got to Rodgers early, he developed a case of happy feet and held onto the ball, loathe to fit the ball into tight windows. As a result, Aaron Rodgers of 2019 looked a lot like the Rodgers we saw last year or in 2015. Without anything breaking open downfield, Rodgers takes the sack. He also wasn’t very accurate with the football, overthrowing Marques Valdes-Scantling in the end zone and Davante Adams on a deep out.

Rodgers has been at his best when he’s been forced into a quick rhythm passing game. He’s going to have to rediscover that approach if they’re going to beat this team again if and when they meet in the playoffs. The Niners only need to rush four to get to the quarterback, and one of the best ways to stymie a potent pass rush outside of an effective rushing attack is a quick, three-step drop passing offense.

This isn’t to say it’s all on 12. The offensive line couldn’t pass protect, and receivers weren’t catching the ball well. Geronimo Allison struggled with drops early, and Jimmy Graham dropped what would have been a big pass downfield in the first half. The broadcast officials suggested that it would have been a catch, but knowing the capricious nature the what is a catch, it’s hard to fault LaFleur for not throwing the red hankie.

All in all, the Packers couldn’t step to the plate and match blow-for-blow against a top-tier defense. If the Packers want to be Super, they’re going to need to come up with answers.

Offense lacks urgency

Down 23-0 at the beginning of the second half, the Packers would take 8:34 of game clock to score. The score was crucial, obviously, but the tempo – or lack thereof – with which the offense played was maddening. Down in and down out the offense would run through the bulk of the play clock. The offense was slow exiting the huddle and showed little urgency lining back up.

This is an issue that dates back well into the McCarthy years, and it’s something Matt LaFleur tried to eradicate in training camp. Alas, we’re here again. The Packers refuse to find any sense of tempo, and it’s a slow death when the offense can’t produce anything in the form of a big play.

LaFleur needs to re-emphasize it. Rodgers needs to acknowledge it.

Special teams once again a disaster

JK Scott began the season as a weapon; he’s since been disarmed.

On six punts, Scott averaged a paltry 37.2 yards. Scott’s been trending downward for a few weeks now, but one would have through the better weather would have cured some of his woes.

One issue may be with the length of his release. The Niners pressed the pocket quite well tonight, which may have shortened Scott’s approach. Whatever the reason, it’s crippling what had been one of Packers’ strengths.

The Packers were also awful again on the receiving end of the punt. Tremon Smith fielded two punts for a total negative three yards.

Like clockward, the Packers’ special teams are among the worst in football, and there are few signs for improvement.

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Instant analysis of the Packers’ 37-8 loss to the 49ers in Week 12

Breaking down the Packers’ miserable night in San Francisco that ended with a 37-8 win for the 49ers.

The Green Bay Packers got thoroughly dominated for the second time in a month on the West Coast, losing 37-8 to the San Francisco 49ers in a nationally televised Sunday night game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

It was over when …

… tight end George Kittle ran away from Kevin King and rumbled in from 61 yards out off a brilliantly designed play-action fake, giving the 49ers a 30-8 lead and destroying any hopes the Packers had of getting back into the game to start the second half.

Game balls

  • Offense: No game ball awarded.
  • OLB Za’Darius Smith: The defensive captain delivered 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. Both of his sacks ended drives.
  • Special teams: No game ball awarded.

Key Stat

3.2: Yards averaged per attempt by the Packers passing offense. They averaged a full yard more rushing (4.2). Overall, the offense averaged only 5.2 yards per completion.

Quick takes

– The Packers got dominated at the line of scrimmage on offense. It started early, got worse when Bryan Bulaga went out and never really stopped. Everything about the blowout starts there.

– Aaron Rodgers attempted 33 passes on 41 dropbacks. He produced 66 net yards passing, took five sacks, lost a fumble and scrambled three times for 13 yards. This was one of the worst ever performances in the long career of the future Hall of Famer.

– The Packers have fatal flaws. There is no second option in the passing game and they can’t cover the middle of the field. No magic cure is coming for either ailment. The 49ers and Chargers exposed each flaw mercilessly. Future opponents, if capable, will do the same. And there are plenty that can do it in the NFC field.

– Teams that can rush the passer with four players and cover effectively and consistently with seven are going to give the Packers a lot of problems. Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers haven’t found an answer.

– I can’t shake the feeling that the 2019 Packers are just the 2015 Packers. They don’t scare anyone in the passing game and good offenses chew up their defense.

– The 49ers didn’t do anything special on offense, but they ran the ball well enough and found explosive plays in the middle of the field. Jimmy Garoppolo hit touchdown passes of 42 and 61 yards. Once again, the Packers defense got beat by the big play. Another fatal flaw.

– The Packers keep hitting new lows on special teams. JK Scott had a miserable night, and the punt return group lost more yardage. There is no bottom for Shawn Mennenga’s unit.

– The receivers behind Davante Adams did next to nothing. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison, Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow combined for four catches on 10 targets for 23 total yards. The Packers not adding a legitimate No. 2 receiver at the deadline might have sunk their season.

– The Packers were 1-for-15 on third down. The one conversion came on the final drive.

– Things look really bad for the Packers right now, but they have two extremely winnable games coming up. Matt LaFleur’s team really needs to be 10-3 going into the final three games against the NFC North. It’s possible. This is still a playoff team, but they have a lot to figure out over the final month.

– Up next: The Packers go back on the road, this time to the East Coast for a game against the two-win New York Giants.

Packers rule out RT Bryan Bulaga with knee injury vs. 49ers

Bulaga has been ruled out for the game. #GBvsSF https://t.co/mvrsC6rp9a – Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 25, 2019 The Green Bay Packers will be without starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga for the rest of Sunday night’s game in San Francisco. …

The Green Bay Packers will be without starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga for the rest of Sunday night’s game in San Francisco.

The team ruled out Bulaga after he suffered a knee injury in the first quarter against the 49ers, leaving backup Alex Light to handle the work at right tackle for the final three quarters.

Bulaga’s injury happened when he got rolled up on from behind by tight end Robert Tonyan on a run play. He was examined in the blue medical tent before walking back to the locker room.

Bulaga, 30, started the team’s first 11 games. When healthy, he’s one of the game’s best right tackles, but he’s struggled with major injuries throughout his career.

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