Tag: 49ers vs Packers

Brandon Allen finds George Kittle for TD to get 49ers on the board vs. Packers

Brandon Allen found George Kittle for a touchdown in the back of the end zone to get the 49ers on the board against the Packers.

After being sidelined due to injury during the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week, George Kittle found a way to spark the 49ers on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Following a rough start at Lambeau Field, the 49ers were trailing by 17-0 in the first half. Before the first half came to a close, Brandon Allen found George Kittle in the back of the end zone to get the 49ers on the board with a much-needed touchdown.

Allen drilled Kittle with a three-yard touchdown touchdown pass to cut Green Bay’s lead to 17-7.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

According to Next Gen Stats, Kittle now leads the NFL with 15 catches in the red zone this season. Kittle has tallied a league-best eight red zone touchdowns this season.

Via @NextGenStats on Twitter:

https://x.com/NextGenStats/status/1860816981680898219

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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49ers injury update: LT Trent Williams officially out vs. Packers

Trent Williams is out.

The San Francisco 49ers nightmare scenario for their Week 12 matchup with the Green Bay Packers was confirmed when inactives were announced 90 minutes before kickoff.

Left tackle Trent Williams, who was listed as questionable with an ankle injury after not practicing all week, will not suit up for the 49ers. That makes it so all three starters at perhaps the three most important positions on the field are inactive for San Francisco in a game they need to win just to keep their postseason hopes on life support.

Williams joins quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder) and defensive end Nick Bosa (hip, oblique) on the list of players who won’t be in action Sunday for the 49ers. The All-Pro left tackle played through an ankle injury in Week 11, but he wasn’t able to get right in time to play Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Fourth-year swing tackle Jaylon Moore figures to start in his stead. Moore took all the first-team left tackle snaps in training camp when Williams was out. He also started the two games Williams missed last season.

Here is the full list of inactives:

QB Brock Purdy (shoulder)
DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)
WR Jacob Cowing (concussion)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
CB Charvarius Ward (personal)
DT Khalil Davis

There aren’t any surprises in this group. It does mark the first time all season the 49ers won’t have an emergency third QB. That job belonged to QB Josh Dobbs, who will be elevated to the QB2 spot behind starter Brandon Allen.

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Is George Kittle playing vs. Packers? Injury updates for 49ers TE

49ers TE George Kittle is dealing with a hamstring injury. Here are the latest updates.

There was a surprise in Week 11 when the San Francisco 49ers ruled out tight end George Kittle for their crucial matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers lost that NFC West showdown and struggled on offense. They posted their least-efficient offensive performance of the year, and it’s hard not to highlight Kittle’s absence as a significant reason for the collective face-plant on that side of the ball.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan after Week 10 seemed optimistic about Kittle’s chances of playing in Week 11 despite “hamstring irritation” that cropped up during the 49ers’ Week 10 win over the Tamp Bay Buccaneers.

Kittle was listed as questionable, and ruled out 90 minutes before kickoff when the team announced its inactives.

Things are in much better shape for Kittle going into a pivotal Week 12 showdown with the Packers:

George Kittle injury update

The 49ers were cautious with Kittle during the week, but he was not officially listed on the injury report. That means barring something out of the ordinary, he’ll be ready to suit up against the Packers.

How long was George Kittle out?

Kittle only missed the one game against Seattle. He was limited in practice to start the week, but by Friday was a full participant and not on the injury report. This season he’s missed two games. He was also out for Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers lost both contests.

49ers TE depth chart

Part of the issue with Kittle missing time is the 49ers don’t have much quality behind him on the depth chart. Eric Saubert is the No. 2 TE, but he’s primarily a blocker. Second-year TE Brayden Willis and TE Jake Tonges are also on the 53-man roster, but neither has been any kind of factor on offense this season. When Kittle is out, tight end becomes a wasteland for the 49ers.

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New starting QB may actually help 49ers offense

Could Brandon Allen’s start be a blessing in disguise for the 49ers’ offense?

The San Francisco 49ers will face a steep uphill battle Sunday when they face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Injuries will leave quarterback Brock Purdy on the sideline with veteran signal caller Brandon Allen slated to start in his stead. While Allen’s start will make an already tough game more difficult for the 49ers, it could facilitate some offensive innovation from a group that was starting to get stagnant on that side of the ball.

San Francisco is coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks where they posted only 17 points, averaged 4.9 yards per play and churned out only three designed explosive plays.

Now they’ll start Allen in a pivotal road game. It’ll be his first start since Week 18 of the 2021 season and the 10th start of his career. He’s 2-7 as a starter with a 56.5 percent completion rate, 6.2 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.

His job Sunday should come down to converting third downs and avoiding turnovers, which may push head coach Kyle Shanahan to try some things he hasn’t been doing with Purdy under center.

In Green Bay we could see the 49ers lean more heavily on their run game, and in particular utilize sets where running back Jordan Mason is on the field with RB Christian McCaffrey. Those two haven’t been on the field together this season with McCaffrey dominating the snap count.

That’s the other shift we may see. More run-focused offense could require more from Mason who posted 13 yards on his only two carries against the Seattle Seahawks. The 2022 undrafted RB proved himself to be a viable offensive weapon while McCaffrey was out, and the 49ers have all but abandoned him since the reigning Offensive Player of the Year returned.

McCaffrey is certainly a better all-around player than Mason, but Mason averaged better than 5.0 yards per carry as the 49ers’ starter and he’d be extremely useful in a situation where San Francisco needs to lean on its rushing attack.

Aside from the run game, Allen’s presence may also facilitate a return toward something close to normalcy in the passing attack. Allen isn’t as mobile as Purdy, so he may be more apt to hit some of the throws Purdy has turned down this year. Not that the 49ers will want him dropping back 40 times, but Allen should be capable of connecting on the easy throws Shanahan figures to dial up.

If the 49ers can get back to their roots as a creative, relentless running team who gets the passing game going out of play action, we may see them not only stay afloat with Allen under center, but we could see them flip an offensive switch that gets them back on track in time to make a late playoff push.

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49ers may avoid facing one of Packers best defenders in Week 12

The Packers may be without CB Jaire Alexander who is dealing with a PCL tear.

It looks like the San Francisco 49ers may avoid facing one of the Green Bay Packers’ best defenders.

Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander told the Athletic’s Matt Schneidman he sustained a torn PCL in Week 8 that cost him the team’s Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions and most of their Week 11 win over the Chicago Bears. Green Bay’s Bye was in Week 10.

Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Second-Team All-Pro, missed the team’s Wednesday and Thursday practices. It doesn’t sound like he’s on track to return any time soon, or at least certainly not by Sunday. He hasn’t been officially ruled out, but it looks like the Packers’ top cornerback will be out for Week 12 when the 49ers visit. Alexander attempted returning in Chicago last week and was limited to only 10 snaps.

If Alexander doesn’t go, Schneidman speculated second-year CB Carrington Valentine would get the start. Valentine started 12 of the 17 games he appeared in as a rookie seventh-round pick last season. This year he’s played in eight games with no starts, though he did receive a lion’s share of the workload after Alexander went out in Week 11.

Carrington has allowed one touchdown as a pro and has yet to record an interception. Quarterbacks have a 82.1 passer rating when targeting him according to Pro Football Focus.

Given some of the 49ers’ struggles with their passing game this season, a team missing its best cornerback could be a significant development for them as they try and exit their offensive rut in time to make a postseason run.

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49ers biggest cause for concern vs. Packers is familiar flaw in 2024

The Packers biggest strength this year is one of the 49ers biggest weaknesses.

Finding one clear issue with the San Francisco 49ers this season is nigh impossible. They’ve been plagued by a slew of problems throughout their 5-5 start.

All of those shortcomings have culminated one overarching flaw: the 49ers can’t close games.

They’ve had fourth quarter leads in three of their five defeats, and four of their five losses have been by one score. Their inability to finish games could rear its head again Sunday in a crucial matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday in a press conference was asked about Brock Purdy’s up-and-down season, and used it as an opportunity to identify why the team’s inability to close teams out could be a problem in Green Bay.

“And to me that’s come all the way down to how we finish games,” Shanahan said. “And we’ve had four games here that have come down to the last two possessions and we’ve only won one of those. And that’s the difference between eight-and-two and five-and-five with the one we won being Tampa. In contrast, you look at a team like Green Bay, they’ve had seven games come down to the last possession and they’ve won six of them, with the only one they lost being the opening game versus Philly. And that’s why they have such a good record.”

The only Packers games to not be decided by one score this year were a 30-14 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans, a 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and a 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Their close wins involved blocking a Chicago Bears field goal last week and getting a walk-off field goals vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans the two weeks prior. Their 24-19 win against the Los Angeles Rams saw their defense hold late after LA got down inside the Packers 40.

Their penchant for winning close games has helped them hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC, two games ahead of San Francisco.

If the 49ers can figure out a way to get and hold a late lead against Green Bay on Sunday it would go a long way toward helping them get back on the path to a playoff berth. The problem is they’ve yet to show that ability this season, and failing to do so again Sunday could put them well outside the playoff picture with only six games to go.

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49ers 1st Week 12 practice report littered with injured stars

The 49ers practice report to open Week 12 is rough:

The San Francisco 49ers can’t seem to escape the injury bug in the 2024 season.

Their first practice participation report of Week 12 featured nine players either out or limited due to injury. Of those nine, five are starters who were either All-Pros or Pro Bowlers just last season.

Most teams by this point of the season have multiple players banged up and dealing with injuries, but for the 49ers it seems as though all of their most important players have dealt with injuries of varying degrees of severity at some point during the year.

With another huge game coming up and their playoff hopes potentially on the line, the 49ers need to hope their injury luck turns around quickly in the lead up to Sunday’s showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

Here’s Wednesday’s participation report:

Did not participate

LB Tatum Bethune (knee)
DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, rest)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)

Bethune sprained his MCL in Week 11 and figures to miss multiple weeks. Bosa played through his hip injury two weeks ago and now appears to have caused additional damage that puts his chances to play against the Packers in jeopardy. Givens was seen getting work in on a side field late last week, which gives some optimism of an eventual return. A non-participation for him isn’t a great sign for his chances to play this week. McCaffrey will likely be out or limited of every practice as part of the team’s management of his Achilles injury, while Williams is nursing an ankle issue he played through last week.

Limited participation

WR Jacob Cowing (concussion)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
QB Brock Purdy (right shoulder)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)

Cowing sustained a concussion on a punt return last week. He’ll need to clear concussion protocol to suit up in Green Bay. Feliciano may be an answer for the 49ers on the offensive line, but he’s yet to be activated off IR. Kittle told reporters he’s confident he’ll play in Week 12, but they may still limit him during the week as a precaution. Purdy sustained a shoulder injury in Week 11 that will require some management during the week by San Francisco. That he was limited is a good sign. Ward was also back on the practice field after time away from the team to work through a personal tragedy.

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More disappointment for 49ers in USA TODAY predictions

Ouch.

A potential Super Bowl hangover isn’t being factored into preseason prognostication about the 49ers. They might just have a roster that’s too good and too experienced to fall victim to it. A prediction from Nate Davis at USA TODAY certainly has San Francisco avoiding a Super Bowl hangover, but their season still ends in disappointment yet again.

Davis has the 49ers finishing with a stellar 13-4 record, along with the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

That in itself would be a rousing success considering the hurdles they’d have to clear as the previous season’s Super Bowl runner up.

Alas, they not only don’t win the title in Davis’s prediction. They don’t even make it back.

Davis has the Packers (the No. 2 seed) representing the NFC against the New York Jets and losing on the NFL’s biggest stage. To get to the Super Bowl the Packers defeat the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in the NFC championship game.

What a gut punch that would be.

Not only to lose in yet another NFC title game, but to have it come against the Packers – a team the 49ers have defeated in five consecutive playoff matchups – would be particularly brutal. It might also lead to some hard questions about San Francisco’s ceiling now that a team like Green Bay has eclipsed them in an NFC that appears to be catching up to them.

In the big picture another NFC championship trip would be a success for the 49ers organization, but zooming into the last six seasons, it would be hard to deem this version of the 2024 campaign anything less than a failure.

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7 things 49ers must improve from divisional round to win NFC championship

The #49ers have 7 things they need to improve from the divisional round if they want to win the NFC championship:

The 49ers didn’t play their ‘A’ game in the divisional playoffs. They may not have even played their ‘B’ or ‘C’ game. It was a mostly rough outing that saw the more talented San Francisco team make a handful of plays that allowed them to pull out a win.

In the NFC championship game the talent gap will close when the Detroit Lions enter Levi’s Stadium. Another subpar performance won’t be overcome with a handful of plays in the closing minutes. If the 49ers want to ensure they don’t fall short in a third consecutive NFC championship, they’ll need to improve these seven things:

Takeaways from a rollercoaster 49ers win over Green Bay

Takeaways from a wild 49ers playoff win over Green Bay:

The 49ers somehow got out of their divisional playoff matchup against the Packers with a 24-21 victory. They’re on to the NFC championship game.

There was no shortage of drama Saturday night with miscues from both teams that kept the game tight the entire way. Here are some of our takeaways from a wild one at Levi’s Stadium: