The Green Bay Packers’ offense is rolling right now, but they will face perhaps their most difficult test of the season this week when they face the San Francisco 49ers’ defense in the NFC Divisional Round.
“They’re a very talented team,” said Jordan Love after the Packers’ win in Dallas. “It’s all about how we get back to work this week, get in the film room, see what they’re all about, and get back to work. They’re a really good team. Got to get our bodies back and get back to it.”
You name it, and there’s a good chance that this 49ers defense does it at a high level. They finished the regular season allowing just 17.5 points per game, the third-lowest mark in football.
The San Francisco secondary is smothering, generating the most interceptions while holding opposing quarterbacks to only 5.9 yards per pass attempt, which is the fifth-lowest average this season.
Individually, cornerback Charvarius Ward has been one of the best at making plays on the ball, recording the most pass breakups and the second-most interceptions while allowing a completion rate of 55 percent. Fellow cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has three interceptions of his own, and safety Ji’Ayir Brown has two.
Contributing to that stellar play in the secondary is the 49ers’ pass rush. Nick Bosa tallied the third-most pressures among edge rushers this season with 95, with Chase Young ranking 17th in that category.
Along the interior defensive line, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead both finished in the top 16 of their position group in pass rush win rate. Javon Kinlaw is another player to keep your eyes on as well.
Against the run, San Francisco is allowing 4.1 yards per attempt, which is around league average, but by ESPN’s run-stop win rate metric, the 49ers have the 10th-best run defense in football.
“We just continue to take it one day at a time and get better each and every day,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday, “and attack it, the process, the right way.
“Certainly, we know we are going against one of the elite teams in the NFL. Certainly, the class of the NFC. They’ve got a lot of the same players that they’ve had for a few years now, and they’ve added some other freak shows over there.”
As good as the 49ers’ defense is, I can promise you that right now, there isn’t a defense out there excited to face this Packers’ offense with how well they are playing.
In the last nine games, Love is playing at an elite level. He’s completed nearly 71 percent of his throws for 2,422 yards at 8.1 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns to just one interception. Regardless of the situation or what defenses have thrown at him, he is a quarterback who is in complete control.
That level of play from a quarterback in itself can present challenges for opponents, but to make things more difficult, the Packers have six legitimate options at receiver, along with two playmaking tight ends to stress defenses.
With so many options in the passing game, there is no keying in on one or two pass catchers; defenses have to defend the entire field because the ball could go anywhere at any time. This then creates better spacing for the offense to operate within and more one-on-one matchups.
As an offense, the Packers have scored 33 or more points in three of their last four games. Along with Love’s play, this point-fueled run was also sparked by the return of Aaron Jones, who has four straight 100-yard performances behind an offensive line that is playing its best football of the season.
At the end of the day, there is no secret sauce when it comes to finding success against San Francisco. The Packers’ overall execution of the game plan will have to be on point, and penalties will have to be at a minimum. Moving the ball can already be a challenge; the Packers don’t need to help the 49ers out.
Being able to lean on the run game will be important. This will keep the Packers from becoming one-dimensional and out of obvious passing situations. Green Bay must also protect the ball and take advantage of the red zone opportunities that come their way. Field goals probably won’t be good enough.
Without question, facing this Niners defense will be a tall task but with how well the Packers offense is clicking right now, they do have the ability to reciprocate and present some challenges of their own.
“We know it’s a great challenge,” added LaFleur, “but it’s a great opportunity as well. That’s exactly how we’ll approach it. At the end of this thing, there is only one happy team, so you’ve got to approach it the same way each and every day. We’re going out there to win a football game, and we know we’re going to have to play our best ball.”
