Green Bay started the game with a familiar game plan: give the ball to Josh Jacobs. Jacobs obviously liked that game plan, as he tore up the 49er defense. He had 91 rushing yards in the first half. When Jacobs took a play off, Emanuel Wilson took over.
Wilson had 29 yards on three carries at halftime. Jacobs broke as many tackles against the 49ers as the 49ers had offensive snaps in the first quarter. The defense had a dominant first quarter, but 49ers backup QB, Brandon Allen, led a second-quarter touchdown drive to give San Francisco life, at 17-7.
Green Bay could have blown the game open when Love found Christian Watson 40 yards downfield with time running out in the first half, but Watson had the ball bounce off his hands. Love tried three more long passes but came up without a completion and the half ended with the Packers up 17-7.
While Green Bay scored two touchdowns and a field goal (a 51-yarder by McManus) on their first three possessions, the offense stalled in the second quarter. San Francisco had the opening possession of the second half and Debo Samuel almost put them back into the game.
Luckily for the Packers, the 49ers were called for holding and Samuel’s 87-yard kickoff return was erased. The Packer defense produced a stop on the 49ers’ opening series of the second half with a nice 4th down pass break up by Xavier McKinney.
The offensive magic provided by Love and Company in the first quarter played a disappearing act to start the third quarter. After a three and out, you could feel a bit of trepidation starting to float through the crowd.
But never fear, Packer fans, Xavier McKinney is here for Green Bay. McKinney added to his league-leading interception total, now with seven for the season, snagging a pass that went off the hands of Samuel and racing 48 yards to the San Francisco 26-yard line.
The offense did their job, scoring a touchdown off the turnover to increase their lead to 24-7, but at a cost. Love threw a pass to the corner of the end zone. Romeo Doubs leaped for the ball.
Defender Renado Green was all over Doubs and drew an interference penalty in the end zone. Doubs’ head was slammed into the ground and Green seemed to slam his weight into Doubs’ head. Doubs left the game with a head injury and did not return.
With the Packers having a short week, playing Miami on Thanksgiving, his injury is a concern. In Doubs’ absence, the defense rose up again. Keisean Nixon punched the football out of Christian McCaffrey’s arms for one of the three takeaways by the Packers defense.
The Packer offense did not turn the ball over, although Love tried to give one away in the third quarter, tossing a first-down intermediate pass to a covered Christian Watson, who did his best to strip the ball away from defender Ji’Ayir Brown. But almost interceptions go into the books as incomplete passes and the Packers took advantage.
Josh Jacobs returned to the game after experiencing cramps and became the first runner to pile up over 100 rushing yards against the 49ers in 55 league games. I wonder if 49er linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will blame his coaching staff for the record falling with him on the field.
It was not a coincidence that the Packers ran and threw into his zone repeatedly and effectively. Campbell is a shell of his former self and the 49ers’ losing record is an example of his impact this season.
It was the kind of “trap game” mediocre teams take lightly, focusing on Thursday’s game, and that lack of focus can turn into a loss. Green Bay, led by Jacobs, was having none of that.
Packers Defense
On the Green and Gold side of the ball, much-aligned linebacker Quay Walker had a good game. Two tackles for loss, effective blitzes that forced incompletions, and he led the team in tackles. If Walker can play that well the rest of the season, Green Bay has a chance to rise to another level.
Another Packer defender receiving bad press lately was Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness responded with his second sack of the year. The sack forced a fumble by 49er backup quarterback Brandon Allen. Van Ness’ forced fumble was scooped up by Kenny Clark at the 49er 16-yard line and led to the game-securing 3rd touchdown for Josh Jacobs.
This was an enjoyable win for Packer fans. They built an early lead and never looked back. To put icing on the cake, wideout Malik Heath caught his first career touchdown on a great over-the-shoulder grab in the end zone. That was the final score for Green Bay, for a total of 38 points on five touchdowns and a field goal.
Green Bay did it without their best defensive back, Jaire Alexander, and rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. While San Francisco was without Brock Purdy, the Packers won two games without Love this season and Brandon Allen is a nine-year vet.
It was the kind of “trap game” mediocre teams take lightly, focusing on Thursday’s game, and that lack of focus can turn into a loss. Green Bay, led by Jacobs, was having none of that. Having this game against the 49ers, who beat the Packers in last year’s playoffs, made that needed focus easier. But the win, without an offensive turnover, is the right direction to be headed.
Looking Ahead
The Packers will face Miami, who has won three straight behind the arm and legs of Tua Tagovailoa. Their receivers, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr., can cause problems with defensive matchups. Let’s hope the weather freezes up a bit and the Packers can cool down the Dolphins. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
