Packers vs 49ers: Week 12 Preview

Overtime Heroics Editorial

2116 days ago

Week 12’s Sunday night matchup will feature the Green Bay Packers vs the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers will enter the week 8-2, as they are coming off their bye week. The last time the Packers played, they beat the Carolina Panthers, at home, 24-16. They finished with 388 yards of total offense, including 163 on the ground. Aaron Jones exploded for 93 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Davante Adams went off for 118 yards on seven receptions. On the defensive side, Preston Smith added two sacks and Tramon Williams added his first interception since 2017. With the weather getting colder, and teams wanting to run the ball more, the Packers will need to improve their run defense, as they allow 127 yards, on the ground, per game.

How Are Their Seasons Going?

San Francisco enters the week 9-1, after a 36-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Although they have averaged 149 yards rushing per game, they only managed 34 yards on the ground against Arizona. The 49ers made up for it with 408 yards passing, with four touchdown passes. Jimmy Garoppolo has had an up and down season. He has 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and seven fumbles on the season. He will need to protect the ball, as Green Bay’s defense has nine interceptions and nine forced fumbles in 10 games this year.

Three Keys To Winning For The Packers

1. Shut Down The Run

Running Backs Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert have a combined 1299 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. San Francisco is the second-ranked rushing offense in the league with 149 yards per game. If Green Bay can stop the run, they will be taking away a big part of their offense.

Keep Aaron Rodgers Off The Ground

San Francisco is entering the game with a league-high, 39 sacks. The last time the Packers played, it was against the Carolina Panthers, who are tied with the 49ers in sacks. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, Rodgers was pressured a season-low, four times, against Carolina. The offensive line will need to have another performance like that in order for the offense to make plays.

Get Pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo

The Packers have had a good, consistent pass rush all season long and the 49ers will be missing their starting offensive tackle, Joe Staley. If the Packers can get consistent pressure on Garoppolo, they should be able to force a couple of turnovers.

Prediction

Although the Packers were terrible the last time they went out west, they are entering the game relatively healthy. The Packers pass rush should be able to disrupt the flow of the 49ers offense. This game should be a close, lower scoring game, but with playoff seeding on the line, the best quarterback in the game will walk out victorious. Green Bay will win 24-20 and improve to 9-2.

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