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Takeaways from a tough #49ers’ loss at home to Green Bay.
The 49ers fell to the Packers on Sunday night in a game that could paint an accurate picture of what San Francisco will need to do to climb into Super Bowl contention. A 30-28 loss to a good Green Bay team isn’t the end of the world, but a few things stood out that could be problematic moving forward.
These are our Week 3 takeaways:
A quick rundown of everything we know immediately following the #49ers’ loss to the Packers.
The 49ers fell behind 10-0 early Sunday night against the Packers, and went on to eventually snag a lead before falling apart in the final moments.
Here’s everything we know in the immediate aftermath of the 49ers’ first loss of the year:
Quarter-by-quarter observations from the #49ers’ loss to Green Bay.
The 49ers had a chance Sunday to move to 3-0 going into a couple crucial divisional matchups. A slow start put them in a 10-0 hole early though and they were never able to overcome it en route to a 30-28 loss at Levi’s Stadium. They drop to 2-1 on the season.
Here are our quarter-by-quarter observations from Sunday Night Football:
Who has the advantage when the #49ers host the Packers on Sunday Night Football?
The 49ers and Packers enter their Week 3 showdown both looking to climb into the conversation among the NFC’s top teams after up-and-down starts to the 2021 campaign.
San Francisco is 2-0 with a couple of troubling early trends emerging, while the Packers come in 1-1 after struggling through Week 1 and eventually putting the clamps on the Lions in Week 2.
Both clubs had tumult at the quarterback position in the offseason and go into Week 3 struggling with injuries at different spots. The winner will emerge as a real contender in the NFC, while the loser will take a hit in their chase for the conference’s top seed.
We sat down with Zach Kruse of the Packers Wire to discuss the two teams and which one has the advantage on Sunday Night Football:
We’re running out of superlatives to describe how dominating the 49ers can be.
We’re running out of superlatives to describe how dominant the 49ers can be. Green Bay never really stood a chance after fumbling on the third play of the game, and never really threatened the 49ers after 57 seconds of game time. The 49ers took their first lead 1:58 into the game and never once looked back on their way to a 37-8 romp. Sunday night was the best win of the season against the best team they’ve played.
There were plenty of studs with a few duds in San Francisco’s victory over the Packers:
There were plenty of individual studs Sunday night, but the defense as a whole deserves the recognition here. They held the Packers, a team that averages 25 points and 356 yards per game, to just eight points and 198 yards. Aaron Rodgers threw for just 104 yards, the fewest yards he’s thrown for in his career minimum 30 passes, and he set a new low with 3.2 yards per attempt. The defense set the tone with a forced fumble on the first drive and never once lost that momentum.
The Packers looked like they were going to sneak back into the game but George Kittle killed all hope of that.
The Packers looked like they were going to sneak back into the game, but George Kittle killed all hope of that. His 61-yard touchdown reception following Green Bay’s first score of the game put the 49ers back up 30-8 in a matter of minutes.
The 49ers will look to hold onto their three-score lead in the final 15 minutes. Here’s what stood out in the third quarter:
The 49ers came out in the second half with a chance to really apply pressure to the Packers, but a penalty essentially killed the drive on the first play. Tevin Coleman gained three yards but Juszczyk was called for lowering his helmet on a block that turned a second-and-7 into a first-and-22 and put the offense in a hole. It was a big drive to start the half but the penalty ruined any shot at a productive drive.
While he’s now the No. 2 running back with Matt Breida hurt, Mostert earned his spot with the 49ers for his special teams play and that’s shown on Sunday night. Mostert made his second open-field tackle in the third quarter on a Mitch Wisnowsky 51-yard punt. Mostert has looked terrific and has played a big role in Green Bay having -3 punt return yards.
The Packers had nine net-passing yards in the first half and got shutout in the first 30 mintues. They were able to score on their first drive of the second half, and Sherman played a big role. Green Bay had a third-and-8 and got called for a holding on a Rodgers incomplete pass, but Sherman was called for illegal contact, wiping out the play. On the replay of the down, Rodgers scrambled short of the first-down marker, but Sherman was called for a pretty weak unsportsmanlike conduct to give the Packers a first down. Green Bay scored two plays later. Sherman has now been called for five penalties the past two weeks.
George Kittle announced his presence with authority on a long TD catch to answer a Packers score.
The Packers scored a touchdown midway through the third quarter to cut San Francisco’s lead to 23-8. The 49ers needed two plays to answer with a touchdown of their won. Jimmy Garoppolo found Kendrick Bourne for 14 yards, then hit George Kittle deep for a touchdown.
A thing of BEAUTY. @JimmyG_10 to @gkittle46 for the 61-yard TD 🙌#GoNiners pic.twitter.com/Ldv9SocBpa
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 25, 2019
That’s one way to answer a touchdown. Kittle’s presence has been enormous, in case there was any question about his importance to the offense.
It’s rare Aaron Rodgers gets hit as hard as Arik Armstead hit him Sunday night.
A Nick Bosa-Arik Armstead stunt isn’t fair. Aaron Rodgers found that out in the second quarter Sunday night when Armstead flew around backup right tackle Alex Light for a big sack.
Thanksgiving is coming up, but @arikarmstead's already FEASTIN' 🍴#GBvsSF | #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/hlodTMdlRb
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 25, 2019
It’s pretty rare Rodgers takes a shot like that. Expect the 49ers to run that stunt plenty this season. Armstead extended his team lead in sacks as well. He has 9.0 on the season.
The defense has impressed early holding Green Bay to 16 yards on 14 plays.
The 49ers defense has impressed early, holding Green Bay to 16 yards on 14 plays. The offense hasn’t done much yet, but thanks to an early fumble recovery, they were able to score and get an early lead.
There’s still plenty of time left, but the 49ers dominated the first 15 minutes. Here’s what stood out in the first quarter:
The 49ers defense faces a tough test against Aaron Rodgers and they passed the first quarter with flying colors. They blitzed on Green Bay’s first third down and instantly got pressure on Rodgers with DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead missing their chances on the quarterback before Fred Warner hit him to notch a sack and force a fumble. Nick Bosa recovered at the 2-yard-line. The offense wasted no time giving the ball to Tevin Coleman for a two-yard touchdown. It was known Levi’s Stadium would be loud, but the first defensive drive really set the tone.
HOT START 🔥@fred_warner takes down Rodgers and @nbsmallerbear recovers the 🏈 #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/1blOUc0XVu
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 25, 2019
Sanders has been dealing with rib problems the last couple of weeks that limited his snap counts against both Seattle and Arizona. After his first reception, it’s safe to say he looks ready to go. Jimmy Garoppolo hit Sanders on a slant for gain of 15, but Sanders paid for it getting flipped and landing hard on his back. He hopped up quickly and danced in celebration of the first down. If Sanders truly is healthy, it gives the 49ers a whole different look and gives Garoppolo three solid options in Sanders, George Kittle, and Deebo Smauel.
They set the bar high on the opening drive, but the defense has been able to meet it. The 49ers forced the Packers offense to three consecutive three-and-outs on the three drives following the fumble. The Packers offense is bound to break out of this slump at some point, but for the defense to set the tone this early and play like this could be huge in the later moments of the game.
The next three games for the 49ers won’t be easy and the stretch begins against the current No. 2 seed in the NFC Green Bay Packers.
The next three games for the 49ers won’t be easy, and the stretch begins Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers – the current No. 2 seed in the NFC. This game is oozing with talent from both sides with Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo leading the charge. All the matchups to watch in this one effectively stem from the two signal callers.
Here are the matchups that will decide the Sunday night clash between the 49ers and Packers:
Sherman had an interesting week last week when he got called for pass interference three times against Cardinals second-year receiver Christian Kirk. On Sunday he’ll face possibly the best receiver he’s lined up against this season. Adams missed four games earlier in the year with a toe injury, but still leads Green Bay with 57 targets. He’s by far Rodgers’ favorite pass catcher, and the star quarterback won’t hesitate to go after Sherman like some others have this season. Sherman will need to do his best not just covering Adams, but also covering Adams with less physicality than usual to prevent those big penalties.
