The great battle of wits between Sean McVay disciples continues in round 2: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers. This time the NFC Championship, and with it, a trip to the Super Bowl, is at stake.
As you likely know, and are probably tired of hearing about, the 49ers put the Packers over their knee the last meeting with a score of 37-8 — this is despite the fact that the Packers were coming off of a bye week and were a very healthy team. Not only is the NFC Championship at stake, but the Pack’s pride is on the line as they have to prove that they can compete with a team like the 49ers.
Not many people expected the Packers, with a new coach, and with him, a new offensive scheme, to make it this far. In fact, I’ve been traveling this week visiting family because I doubted the Pack would be here when I scheduled this trip. Thanks to Rob Born for carrying the torch and keeping the content coming in the meantime.
A Few Things You Should Know:
Packers have won 5 of the last 7 games against the 49ers
49ers passing game coordinator, Mike LaFleur, is Matt LaFleur’s brother
Matt LaFleur previously worked with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when they were with the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff
Matt LaFleur also worked with Kyle Shanahan’s father, who was the head coach of the Washington Redskins, when LaFleur was the QB coach
This is the 69th time the Packers and 49ers have faced each other
Local Weather Report:
Injury Reports(Note: JK Scott has since been added as Questionable with an illness):
Click Here to Download the Free Packers vs 49ers Dope Sheet [PDF]
It’s gameday! A few last minute things came up. Apparently JK Scott is the latest to get the flu bug. It seems he will play though because the Packers did finally activate Raven Greene rather than signing an emergency punter before 3pm yesterday. If something weird happens though, this will be a horrible situation without a true punter. Field position might be key today if it is a close game.
*******
Rodgers may be right in saying the pressure is on the 49ers, but I feel there is a lot of individual pressure on him, as he is running out of time to win another super bowl. I think his legacy is already defined, but another super bowl ring would be nice. I think it is far from a guarantee that he plays in another NFC championship. I think the 49ers ultimately prevail here 27-17. Just too much talent on the 49ers. I hope to God I am wrong.
Also important, because he is the holder on PATs and field goals
He had a nice save last week as a holder
I think the pressure is on the 49ers simply because they are playing at home. Lets not lose sight of the fact the 9ers were 4-12 last season, people expected improvement from the 9ers, but not to this level. These are two teams playing with house money. Now it’s about coaching, talent, execution, and who wants it more.
*
I’m hoping for a competitive game…..make it competitive and there is no reason to hang your head, even in a loss..
I’m going over the injury report and practice participation, we have a lot of veterans on “rest duty” apparently. Jimmy G who didn’t practice Wed, and had Limited practice Thur. and Fri. I guess i can see that, after just turning 33 and catching 447 yards worth of catches he’s probably worn out. Maybe he’s too valuable to risk getting hurt…idk. I guess pretty soon they’ll be pushing Rodgers around in a wheel chair (just in case).
*
Now i think i’ll look up the 49ers, Titans, Chiefs injury/practice report of players sitting out due to veterans rest. Hmmmmm, let me count….zero.
*
My hands got fairly dirty this last week, time to go wash up…..Ok my Green Bay Packers…Show me what you got.
We all may need to rest our brains and fingers after this game…I guess Lonely Boy has been resting in the bushes waiting for a little joy in his life, let’s hope it does not come today! His palms probably need rest too.
Well, Jimmy Graham is what he is at this point.
Go Pack go. That will be all.
Except, I think success on first and second down is important today. We aren’t going to get away with as many third and long plays as we did last week against Seattle.
There is a belief that games are won or lost at the line of scrimmage. I keep hearing, and reading about our O line being described as one of the top lines in the league, or we have an excellent O line, and most recently, that the Packers O line is superior.
I don’t disagree….against certain teams. But that’s NOT how it works. You can’t go against a top team, and have the O line literally mauled backwards ALL GAME and then describe the line as superior. Are you freaking kidding me? So what do we have today? As someone recently wrote…..
*
“We’ll have the two best tackles on the field, David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga, and the superior 5-man offensive line overall.” – Rob
*
“Rodgers was sacked five times by the Niners in Week 12. If there’s a repeat, the Pack will again be routed.” – Rob
*
So…what changed? Will the line give….better effort?
*
I could see the line being less of a factor if they can get the ball out quick. We’ll see what happens.
Remember Bulaga didn’t play much of the first game, and the Packers had to devote resources to helping Light in that game. Also, if Rodgers is holding the ball for over four seconds, I am sorry, no offensive line will hold up
Well i could buy that but….didn’t the 9ers not have their starting left tackle, (no excuses) needed.. not to mention other key starters.
*
Where would the Packers be without their left tackle?
Isn’t it nice having a respectful National Anthem without the story being some assholes disrespecting it.
Someone may want to tell King the goal is to tackle the ballcarrier. Also, someone may want to have Aaron’s eyes checked, he had Graham open for a first down on the first series
Hard to watch so far. This will be my last comment today
Billy Turner may want to block. JK Scott. What the actual fuck was that?
Yeah good season all if the pack go down 17-0. Thst jk scott punt says it all.
shank you
The question is, will the Packers score a point, or will Rodgers prove what a fraud he is in NFC championship games
Really?
Watching the game now. Friggin ugly again. Lafleur has failed to prepare the offense once again.
Deer in the head lights look
Not sure if they are going to turn this one around. Fumble again. Oh my.
Holy fuck is this a mess
Time to turn this off. Aaron Rodgers, Tyler Ervin, Kevin King, Billy Turner, packers run defense in general are on my shit list
Oh, and JK Scott. How could I forget that punt
Fine…miss one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.
Lol. Is it time to start talking about the draft? Time to start looking at quarterbacks. Linebackers, defensive linemen. Sorry Mike Pettine, clean out your office at 1265, this performance is unacceptable.
Our DB`s hit like a bunch of bitches.
And #23 is the biggest one…
Lol, what a fucking joke! Rodgers again pulls this shit in a big game. I would draft a QB high this year just to send a message. Pettine is fucking clueless. Call up Jim Leonhard literally tomorrow morning and offer him the DC job.
He most likely would NOT want to coach a bunch of players that cannot tackle . . .
Ready to admit your statement of the Packers roster being way better was idiotic?
My words were based on them actually putting up a fight, having a game plan, etc. Obviously not getting off the bus again just isn’t going to fly in a game against this type of team.
Or maybe the 49ers are flat out the better team?
Maybe they traveled on the wrong day again.
That lack of Martinez hustle on this challenge play and the subsequent dragging distance that makes the challenge necessary and risks a time out is a throw back to the Hawk days. Rough game to watch all around though.
Also given the usage of this Bellichik/Vrabel rule this year is it really wise to use time outs above the 5 minute mark?
I would also like to say that I think Billy Turner is really not worth the money.
Well 20 is better than 8, right? So there was an improvement, right? No. Not only no, but hell no. They pretty much looked as bad as the last meeting.
In this last week I seen some stories regarding Pettine being considered – maybe – for a HC job. Are you f#ck!ng kidding me!? This defense was either: 1) Very ill prepared (coached up) for the run game. 2) Very much lacked the talent to stop a run attack. 3) Or both. Now they have faced good runners before this game and done well. They had some chance to evaluate and make adjustments (coach strategy) and they failed. They were not ready for this, because a more talented and better coached team beat them, handily. Congrats 46ers, go Chiefs.
All in all, better than we all expected for the season, got to the NFCCG, and more positives than negatives. I just wanted them to look like they belonged in this game.
49ers (dyslexia)
Give some credit to the 9ers …4-12 to the Super Bowl. Championship teams are built from the top down, and the 9ers built a team in short order deserving of the Super Bowl. You give credit when it’s deserved.
As far as the Packers, when you go farther than your talent dictated, eventually you have to pay the piper. That day was today.
*
Don’t be all pissed off and angry pretending this was a Championship team, it wasn’t and isn’t. This team went farther than anyone imagined and more importantly…it improved, which is what this season was for, improvement.
*
As is….i think the offense improves next season with more time together under it’s new coach and system. Then add some new pieces that i imagine Gute will add, and you most likely have a pretty good looking offense next season.
*
Everyone calm the fuck down and give this new coach and system more than one season before they suffer your angst.
*
All in all…it was a entertaining season. 14-4 ain’t half bad….is it?
I had no super bowl delusions but they could have at least made it entertaining. They got a stop on the first series and even started moving the ball a bit in their first offensive set.
Then it was literally all bad things happening in succession. It reminded me of a college game quite honestly…like a alabama vs a fcs team..
That’s how dominant the niners were.
My statements were in general, not directed at anyone.
*
I think we had a clue based on last game that the 49ers could be dominant, that shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.
*
One thing Rodgers said post game is…”the window is open”. We should take that as a positive.
*
As Rodgers spoke, you believe in your heart because of how he speaks that he has faith and trust in Gute and LeFleur and i think that’s an important ingredient to future success.
I commented a week ago or so that this was my favorite Packers team ever – I don’t retract that comment. I loved the team chemistry this year, and I think Gute has taken incredible steps to repair years of dysfunction.
Kind of hard for your star edge rushers to rush the quarterback when he threw the ball, what…9 times? That has to be some sort of modern record btw. So who are we drafting? MLB? WR? DLine?
Thanks for a fun season everyone. Let’s all congratulate Killer on his victory tonight. Truly the zenith of being a Vikings fan.
My favorite Packer team would have been the 2011 and 2014 offense, with the 2010 defense. Rodgers would then be looking for his 4th ring.
Except holy shit why is Gay here?
*Gary
All in all. I knew that it would be an uphill battle (this is one of the reasons that I did not contribute much to the posts the last week or so). This 49’ers team has way too many blue chippers for Green Bay to compete with them. It was obvious that the rookie coach Lafleur and the DC Pettine were in over their heads against this superbly coached team. Green Bay never really had a chance IMO after they got smoked the first time this year. It most likely played in their heads for days before this NFCC game. However, I for one am VERY GRATEFUL that we actually had a decent team, a great year, and more importantly a small sliver of hope of making it to the SB. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of the Buffoon, Capers and TT (the Frugal GM)! Let us trust that we NEVER have to deal with that level of ineptitude again! With that being said, there are a few players, and perhaps even a coach (or two) that need to be jettisoned immediately . . . I won’t get into tonight’s game from a Packer players point of view, we all saw what a shitshow it was at times. And even a nascent fan can see where, what, and who we need to keep, replace, upgrade and just plain get rid of. What I would like to mention is the quality of football that I saw from the other team. One that I despise btw . . . I believe that what we saw with most of the 49’ers players tonight was their attention to detail, assignment confidence, total focus, and NON-STOP motors. They were beasts that could ALL tackle soundly and maintain their gap awareness. This team played at the highest level for most of the game. I have not seen a team this aggressive that could swarm to the ball this well in decades. They were once again a step ahead of everything the Packers did all game long . . . If only Mark Murphy would have let go of TT 5 years earlier . . . Now the rebuilding continues. Go Pack Go! It was a great year considering all of the obstacles and the lack of talent and depth. A seriously great group of mostly good guys and TEAM PLAYERS! This, in and of itself, is something worthy of building from.
Yea man….Keep the Faith
That is all we can do.
We know what we need to become.
This team accomplished a lot. I am worried about QB1’s mindset, though. He could learn a lot from Russel Wilson about positivity. Russ has the heart of a champion. Although there is some pretty lame hokiness there , too.
A real #2 WR, a TE threat, a corner besides King and a new DC. Next year!
And here we are, yet again, the Packers defense shits it’s pants in epic proportions. I don’t think they were expected to win, but I expected them to hang with the 49ers. In the past 300 Packers games, they have given up 300 yards rushing twice. Both to the 49ers in the playoffs. I thought when you get better, you don’t give up these epic performances? Why are we still playing with 5 and 6 defensive backs when they are running it down our throats? I am sorry, but Pettine should go. This whole, we will concede the running yards to stop the pass blew the fuck up.
Honestly, I don’t even know how you fix that in a off-season.
At 6.8 yards per carry for the 9ers….i’m not going to be flippant about the two teams discrepancy concerning the running games.
*
Lets just say it was significant, and that point has been made.
Ok. But how do you propose fixing that? We both know that the Packers were questionable at best defending the run this year. The blueprint to beating the Packers is clear. Run the ball and neutralize the most effective part of the Packers defense, their pass rush. Can’t exactly take over a game when you only throw 8 times or whatever it was. Is this a player issue or a scheme issue? I think both are to blame, but I have a good idea of where a lot more blame falls.
Lol…Kato Kato..Kato…when will you learn?
*
First…why is it my job to fix it?
*
The comment, was tongue in cheek statement from comments from a previous post, One that you made a point of agreeing with me. so exhale, let your chest size go back to normal, and relax
*
Why do i end up having to explain everything to you, Please…next time, before you want to get smart….think about what you want to discuss, and how it might be relevant, then, re-think it again in case you missed something.
*
Thanks for understanding.
Never said it was your problem. I simply wanted your opinion on the matter
As I expected I won’t see the SB at the Rotterdam Trojans club house, again. Looks like it will be a nice game with SF and Chiefs though. But it was nice to see us coming this far not watching that dumb MM play calling wasn’t it?
Amen! No Buffoonery . . . Dallas can now deal with him. Enjoy the SB. Two great teams to watch. perhaps the Packers will figure it out in the off-season.
Steve Austin lite, do you care to revisit your strategy of eschewing run defense?
******
Aaron Jones and Davante Adams are about the only guys I can give positive grades to in this game. Rodgers deserves some credit for not giving up like a bitch, but his play helped put them in that situation to begin with. Taking that sack on third down was ridiculous. He had Aaron Jones open, everyone saw it, except 12 for whatever reason. Not only that, Kumerow was wide open going across the middle. I am not sure he would have gotten the first down, but fuck, at least give him an opportunity to. That first interception, I have no clue what he was doing. It’s almost as if he expected Allison to cut his route off there. Not sure who was at fault there, but that ended the game essentially at that point.
Like PF4L said it is encouraging that Rodgers has faith in the path Gutekunst and LaFleur are on. Just like Rodgers said I thought this team brought back some fun to the game. Now they need to get more physical. I was hoping for a better outcome, but the Current version of the Packers does not matchup well in personnel or coaching with the 9ers. I thought this type of game would happen if the Packers met the 9ers in the playoffs.
Howard December 30, 2019
I also agree the best chance for any team to beat SF early is the Seahawks. If the Packers were the #1 seed they would have seen SF in the first game. Shanahan right now is like LaFleur’s older brother. Shanahan will kick the shit out of LaFleur if LaFleur gives Shanahan any lip, no matter where they play.
I was hoping this off season we would see Gute going in heavy on offense (for once). But because of the way this game rolled out, i’m not so sure that is going to be the case. Can we spend our #1 pick on offense at least? i think the last time it happened was 1987….(i joke) but you get the picture.
*
Am i alone, or did anyone else get the impression that Blake Martinez knows his fate with the Packers? It sure seemed like he thinks he’s gone.
I think Gute uses free agency to get a #2 veteran receiver and drafts another receiver with the first or second pick. The Packers have to draft at least a couple of offensive linemen early.
My guess is the Packers have made no contact with Martinez on framework for a new contract, or extension. Spotrac usually lists the Sports agents for every player. Martinez does not list an agent. I wonder if Martinez is his own agent? He is a Stanford guy. That would put Martinez in the position of knowing exactly what is going on with contract talks, if any.
Im pretty concerned about whether we have the time to close the gap with the 49ers before Aaron is way past his prime. Its not like they put this team together just via FA; its a pretty young team.
I am finally ready to admit that Aaron needs a big play receiver. Adams is a great team guy and a good possession receiver, but he is never going to stretch a defense. We need WR who can do it all, including taking it to the house. I see us making this a priority.
Our LB’s are total shit. Martinez is AJ Hawk and if we want to beat the 9ers we need better.
Time for the D coach to go.
I am interested in hearing how P4FL feels about Aaron bailing out on that center fumble? He knew within a millisecond the ball was on the ground yet he made ZERO attempt to go get it. My Brother who is a huge Aaron fan even was upset, txting me “that was a total Rex Grossman move man…”
Didn’t Cam Newton get crucified in the media (ok, highly criticized anyway) for something similar a few years ago?
I’d have to watch the play again, which i will. If he purposely avoided it, if he had a real chance at recovering it, i’ll blast him too.
Kzoo, i lost respect for Newton on that play, as i’m guessing some of his team mates did as well. Newton had clear air to get that ball, he even stated he didn’t want to get hurt going for it. It’s the Super Bowl, they were still in the game trying to drive to take the lead.
It’s the NFL…you fight for and with your team, or you go put on a skirt, Rodgers included. I’m old school that way.
Rebel, it’s not Packer 4 Fan Life, It’s Packer Fan 4 Life.
He’s falling backward, he regained his footing quick enough, but the ball was away from him with bodys in between.
Agree. I re-watched it a couple of times tonight. There was no way he was getting to that by the time he arrested his momentum back from center.