Green Bay Packers host San Francisco 49ers as two Super Bowl contenders start their season – NFL Preview
Two strong contenders of winning the Super Bowl this National Football League (NFL) season, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, are going to kick off their season on September 09 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay.
Backed by powerful offensive unit that has shattered many defensive lines, the Green Bay Packers are once again relying on their offensive strength to earn victories.
They did the same last year and entered the playoffs as the top-seeded team after finishing the regular season 15-1.
The 49ers, however, have changed their squad to increase reliance on offence while hoping that the defence would continue to display miracles.
The sturdy defence led the 49ers to winning many games last year as they finished the regular season 13-3 to enter the playoffs as the second-seeded team behind the Packers, who were the defending champions.
Unfortunately, both teams were sent packing by the same team, New York Giants, who later went on to win the NFL title. This time around, however, the situation is much more different and both teams have got even greater chances of getting a shot at the Super
Bowl by winning the National Football Conference (NFC) championship.
The 49ers have improved their offence to a great extent. Apart from further grooming their quarterback Alex Smith, who had his career-best season last year, the 49ers have acquired services of wide receivers Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and A.J. Jenkins.
That being said, their defence still remains a potential threat for many teams. The Packers are especially going to target 49ers defenseman Justin Smith. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Smith:
“Justin Smith is kind of the guy that makes it go at times. He’s a blue-collar guy. He doesn’t always get the stats, but everybody knows how important he is to that team. He’s one of the very best players in the NFL, regardless of position.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers himself remains the main threat to the 49ers. He is an outstanding quarterback, among the best in the league, and he will continue to live up to his reputation of generating scoring opportunities consistently while maintaining accuracy.
It was Rodgers’ exceptional performance that led the Packers into the playoffs quite easily last year and helped them win the Super Bowl a season earlier.
49ers are aware of how exploding Packers offence is and just the like Packers have devised a strategy to penetrate the 49ers defence, the 49ers have also targeted some areas that could expose flaws of the Packers offence.
Nevertheless, 49ers acknowledge that the task is tough in front of them. 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said of the game:
“We face, first, a daunting challenge. This is a great Green Bay Packer team. And it’s going to take, first and foremost, a phenomenal week of preparation by all of us, coaches, players. Understand this team the best that we can. Mentally prepare, physically
prepare ourselves. And then get ready and be motivated to play in this game.”
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