Hello All, its TheAwfulGuy, writer of the The Awful Sports News. Heres a quick recap of the Packers vs 49ers game.
The Green Bay Packers lose to the San Fransisco 49ers 37-20:
As I said before on my IGTV (@Writnbrotha), the Packers had a certain amount of flaws, and depth of flaws, that they could not overcome.
Now, I’ve been catching some flak from Packers fans lately. Recently on an Instagram post, I stated that Aaron Rodgers was essentially neutralized. Now, fans will automatically look at the stat lines which have Rodgers at 31 for 39 passing, 326 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, which is impressive at first glance.
It is important to note, however, that Rodgers had 1 fumble (for loss), an aborted snap, an interception, and no touchdowns in the first half. By this time, the San Fransisco 49ers had gone up 20 – 0.
In the second half, Rodgers would pick up his second interception, two touchdowns and a bunch of yards due to garbage time.
The 49ers were never weary of Rodgers and though I can’t prove it, I would say that they did not mind him picking up yardage on his dink and dunk passes. This is what I call an effective neutralization of Aaron Rodgers: limiting his impact of greatness during a game.
One way they accomplished this was by sacking and rushing Rodgers. Buckner (1 fumble recovery) and Bosa provided the pressure; K’Waun Williams (1 forced fumble), Nick Bosa, and Arik Armstead (1 forced fumble) each racked up the sacks.
Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Mosley each had an interception.
Another way the 49ers neutralized Rodgers was by keeping off the field completely. Raheem Mostert had 29 carries for 220 yards and 4 touchdowns. Mostert was the workhorse last night and was key to Kyle Shanahan’s game management.
Terrell Davis, coached by Kyle’s father Mike Shanahan, had run for 2008 yards in a ground and pound assault in 1998. Terrell Davis had three years of rushing for 1500 yards or more. Is it possible that dad was a behind the scenes coordinator? Maybe. It’s more likely that Kyle found inspiration from dad and did what worked.
Positives for the 49ers:
Mostert: Good hard-nosed running and great vision.
Jimmy G: Had good feet in the pocket. Made the passes that he needed to make.
Ground game: 49ers stayed with the ground and pound.
Blocking: 49ers won the battle up front and were moving guys.
Stays:
The 49ers should stay with the ground attack. They haven’t had to use the passing game but for a few passes.
The 49ers weren’t greedy. There was no spillage and no overreaching. Perfect management.
Changes: are to be announced in another video.
The Packers seemed to get a hold on the pressure given by the 49ers by passing underneath to a back who would then utilize blocking to gain yards. This, however, seemed like a last-ditch attempt to stem the onslaught of the 49ers.
What do you think? What could the Packers have done to stay competitive in this game? Do you think its over for Aaron Rodgers?
Thanks for reading!
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Awful Sport News 