It was total domination by the 49ers from start to finish Sunday night in a 37-8 romp over the No. 2 seeded Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium.
Here’s our notes and observations from the win:
– Emmanuel Moseley is starting at cornerback even though Ahkello Witherspoon is fully healthy. Moseley’s played well since Witherspoon went down with a foot strain in Week 3.
– Fred Warner sacked Aaron Rodgers on the first third down of the game and forced a fumble that Nick Bosa recovered on the Packers’ 2-yard line. Tevin Coleman scored on the first play of the ensuing drive. That’s about as perfect of a start the 49ers could’ve hoped for.
– Another Packers third down attempt fails. Rodgers was under duress again and fired high over the middle. The pass bounced off his receiver’s hands and fell just outside the reach of a diving Jaquiski Tartt. San Francisco’s pass rush is flying around early in this one.
– A Deebo Samuel slant goes for 8 yards to open the 49ers’ second series. He’s dominant on that route thanks to his aggressiveness going toward the football.
– Another slant for a gain of 15 to Emmanuel Sanders. When their entire group of pass catchers is healthy, this passing attack gets whatever it wants in the middle of the field.
– Near disaster when Garoppolo mishandled a snap. Laken Tomlinson kicked the ball backwards, which allowed Tevin Coleman to dive on it for a loss of 8. Getting behind the sticks isn’t ideal, but it’s better than a turnover in that spot near the 50.
– DJ Jones’ presence is immediately felt in the run game. He has two tackles, both tackles for loss with 8:10 to go in the first quarter.
– Rodgers made a nice play to get the ball out under pressure on a blitz from Jaquiski Tartt. Arik Armstead strung the play out though and held Packers RB Jamaal Williams to a gain of 4.
– A delayed safety blitz on third-and-5 got to Garoppolo for a sack on San Francisco’s third possession, but an illegal hands to the face penalty extended the drive for San Francisco.
– Jeff Wilson Jr. went for 25 yards on his first carry. He’s gone for 50 yards his last two touches.
– Garoppolo had to throw one away on third-and-5 from the Packers’ 11 thanks to heavy pressure from Justin Skule’s side. Chase McLaughlin drilled a field goal to go ahead to 10-0.
– Nick Bosa had a free shot at Rodgers on a play action look, but Rodgers smartly spun away from the pressure and ran for a gain of four. He’s among the best in the league at sensing pressure on his blind side.
– The 49ers held on a third-and-13 thanks to a nice diving deflection by Jimmie Ward and another big stick by Emmanuel Moseley, who laid a big hit on second down. San Francisco’s defense is flying around. Green Bay hasn’t crossed their own 35
– Another sack for the Packers ends the first quarter. They hit Garoppolo a lot in the first 15 minutes.
– Two plays, 8 yards for the Packers to open the second quarter. They’ve made an adjustment. They’re still running and Rodgers is lookiinig to get the ball out quicker.
– Four plays, 43 yards. Green Bay’s offense is cooking on now that they’re moving laterally. San Francisco struggles badly going sideline to sideline.
– Ahkello Witherspoon had great coverage one-on-one vs. Davante Adams to force an incompletion and bring up a third-and-8. They picked up seven on third down thanks to a nice tackle from Ward. Green Bay will go on fourth-and-1.
– They didn’t get it on an inside handoff. Another huge stop from the 49ers’ defense.
– Skule flagged for holding. He’s having a rough night.
– Now another sack given up by the rookie left tackle. Yikes.
– Fred Warner has really taken over as an emotional leader on the defense. He’s been on a different level since Kwon Alexander went down with a season-ending injury.
– Arik Armstead blasted Rodgers for his ninth sack of the year. He flew off the edge on a stunt with Bosa. That’s an unblockable play.
– Another great pass breakup from Jimmie Ward on a deep shot intended for Jimmy Graham. Graham had it, but Ward punched it out at the last second.
– Daniel Brunskill is in at left tackle after Skule got off to a terrible start.
– Just like that the 49ers get Kittle involved and he catches two balls for 40 yard as the clock winds inside five minutes to go in the first half. San Francisco needed three plays to get in the red zone after starting at their own 32.
– A quick jaunt to the red zone stalled out and McLaughlin kicked his second field goal of the night. It’s 13-0, 49ers.
– Two more throws Ahkello Witherspoon’s way. Two more incompletions.
– Dee. Bo. It’s a 42-yard touchdown pass with 58 second left in the half to go up 20-0. He took a throw over the middle and outran two defenders to the end zone. He’s developed into a real weapon over the last three weeks.
– Another sack. This time it’s Nick Bosa. The defensive line has been sensational through the first 30 minutes. They forced another punt with 33 seconds left in the half.
– Another field goal before the end of the half thanks to a 22-yard completion to Kittle after good starting field position. It’s 23-0 and San Francisco gets the ball to start the half.
– Green Bay is sticking with the run and quick pass plays to open the second half. They’ve had success with both, but get in trouble when they try to stretch the field vertically.
– Armstead gets another sack to bring up a third-and-8 near midfeidl on Green Bay’s first drive of the second half. Rodgers scrambled for four on third down to bring up a fourth-and-4. They’ll go for it.
– A huge gain on fourth down. Jamaal Williams leaked out of the backfield and Rodgers found him amid heavy pressure for a 15-yard catch-and-run. That’s a huge missed opportunity for San Francisco. Rodgers manipulates the pocket so well with his feet though.
– A facemask by Dre Greenlaw puts the Packers into the red zone at the 49ers’ 11. It’s their first red zone trip of the game.
– Jimmie Ward recognized a quick throw to Davante Adams outside and blew the play up for no gain. Adams probably scores if Ward gets hung up on his block.
– Rodgers got pressured by Bosa on third-and-8, and scrambled for a gain of five. An unnecessary roughness penalty on Richard Sherman gave Green Bay a first down at the 2. Multiple replays didn’t reveal anything penalty-worthy though.
– A touchdown on a shovel pass to Adams two plays later made it 23-6. They got the two-point conversion on another throw to Adams to make it 23-8. That call on Sherman is still baffling.
– That’s one way to answer. 14 yards to Kendrick Bourne. 61 yards to George Kittle. Six points. 49ers lead 30-8.
– It’s 30-8 at the end of the third quarter.
– The 49ers looked to have a stop on fourth-and-10 with 14:04 left in the fourth quarter, but K’Waun Williams was flagged for pass interference to extend the drive.
– Another sack for Armstead. This time he splits it with Jaquiski Tartt. It came on fourth-and-8 with 11:29 left, and gave the 49ers the football back with a chance to ice this one.
– Raheem Mostert provides the nail in the coffin. A 15-yard touchdown makes it 37-8. What a sensational showing from the 49ers.