San Francisco 49ers against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is cursed. It is as if the Packers either dominate or get defeated, there is no middle ground. The Packers have won just 2 of the past 14 games which were decided with a points difference of four or less. That should not
be construed as criticism of Rodgers. The message should be that Rodgers just doesn’t know how to quit.
Rodgers isn’t bothered by those statistics. “Some people look at that as a negative. Well, we've been competitive in every game. How many times have we been blown out?” asked Rodgers and the answer is, not very often. Last week against Atlanta, Rodgers led
the Packers to a comeback late in the 4th quarter. He tied the score with 57 seconds remaining but Atlanta somehow managed a field goal in the remaining time.
In 9 of the 12 close games that the Packers lost, Rodgers either tied the score or took the lead late in the fourth quarter but Green Bay still lost. On three separate occasions winning or losing came down to a field goal but the kick was either wide or
blocked. You can’t ask more of Rodgers and Coach Mike McCarthy recognizes all that Rodgers has done for the franchise. “I have never seen a quarterback, in my time here, play to that level in the passing game,” McCarthy said. “I'll make that statement clearly
here.”
Sunday’s game has serious implications for both teams. Packers are one game behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North. In the coming week the Packer would face the New England Patriots, New York Giants and the Chicago Bears. If they want to have a chance
at the playoffs they have to beat the 49ers and the Detroit Lions next week.
With a record of 4-7, you’d think the 49ers have no chance at the playoffs but you’d be wrong. That is one of the perks of being in the NFC West division. The Saint Luis Rams and Seattle Seahawks share the top spot of the NFC West with a record of 5-6 each.
The 49ers have still a good chance of making the playoffs. Neither the Rams nor the Seahawks have shown any consistency and the race is still very much on for San Francisco.
“Well, being that that's where we are and we have the opportunity to get, to continue to move forward and win the division, my feelings are very positive,” coach Mike Singletary said. San Francisco is coming off an impressive win over the Arizona Cardinals
but it wouldn’t do much for their confidence because in the week before last, they were shut out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We had high expectations of having a great record at this point in the season, but unfortunately, we don't,” linebacker Patrick Willis said. He added that the 49ers still have expectations of winning the division title. “That's our mindset right now, just
stay focused and give ourselves a chance.”
The inside linebacker, Patrick Willis and San Francisco’s 3-4 defence is going to be a challenge for Green Bay’s offense. The Packers can’t just double team Willis as he is covered by the defensive linemen. Packers’ offensive coordinator said that before
each play the offense would have to build their matchups and give the offense a chance to cover yards. Willis has 5 sacks and a hundred yards this season.
Even with Willis San Francisco’s defence has not been impressive except in stopping the rush. They rank 8th in stopping the rush and 15th against the pass. The 49ers offense is going to struggle against the Packers’ air tight defence.
On average they Packers have conceded 15.1 points per game this season, lower than everyone else in the league. Their scoring average of 24.5 points ranks 8th in the league. The Packers have what it takes to make an impact in the playoffs and beyond.
“There was a lot of offensive production this past week, but the bottom line is we didn’t get in the end zone enough,” McCarthy said. “The things that kept us out of the end zone, that’s what we concentrate on.”
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