The San Francisco 49ers were the favorite to win the Super Bowl for most of the season. Green Bay Packers? Not really.
“Looking back here, I don’t think even after the Broncos game, anybody in that locker room thought we were going to be in a division game against the 49ers,” right guard Jon Runyan said this week.
It’s been a tough run for the Packers, beating the Chargers, Lions and Chiefs several weeks ago, then somehow losing to the Giants and Pirates before winning the final three games of the regular season and the Cowboys. joker round.
Can packers do it again? No. Here are three reasons why the 49ers will beat the Packers in Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game and end the season once again.
1. Too many playmakers
The 49ers may have the most talented group of skill players in the NFL. Running back Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing yards (1,459) and total yards (2,023). Receiver Brandon Aiyuk finished seventh in the NFL with 1,342 yards and second with a 17.9-yard average. Receiver Deebo Samuel had 892 receiving yards and 225 rushing yards for 1,100 total yards. George Kittle led the way with 1,020 yards and a 15.7 average.
That’s four players who have reached 1,000 yards from scrimmage. The talented Packers had zero.
If you’re defensive coordinator Joe Barry, where do you start? Their deep, versatile offense is like Green Bay on steroids.
“I have incredible respect for Kyle (Shanahan) as a coach and as a signal caller,” Barry said. “When you put all the pieces around him, they’re elite in a lot of areas — the running, the tight end, the wideout — and when you add that to a guy, it’s probably one of the best plays to make, he’s got a lot of toys to play with and he does a great job.”
Whether Brock Purdy is an elite defender or a quarterback with elite stats doesn’t matter. The passing game is great. Aiyuk caught 75 passes, followed by McCaffrey with 67, Kittle with 65 and Samuel with 60. It’s a balanced offense with all four threatening to go the distance on every play due to their elite yards per catch numbers.
With four interceptions against Baltimore, Purdy led the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating, 278.7 passing yards per game and 9.64 yards per attempt. Yards per attempt led the league by a proverbial mile; it was the third best in the Super Bowl era.
“I think it would be unfair to Brock Purdy and the way he plays to say, ‘Oh, he’s only playing well because he’s surrounded by great players,'” Barry said. “Getting great pieces helps, but all successful attacks have to look at the trigger immediately. You talk about efficiency, because he picked it up from the first start, the efficiency is incredible.”
2. McCaffrey is unstoppable
As great as Purdy was, it all starts with McCaffrey.
“He’s the GOAT, man. . He’s the GOAT,” said Devonte Wyatt. “You can see it on film, you can see it on TV, he’s the GOAT. We definitely have to have a plan with him.” 4,444 4,444 McCaffrey topped the NFL in rushing yards with 1,459 yards by nearly 300 yards. With 2,023 total yards, he led the league for the second time in his career and was the only player to reach 2,000 yards that season.
Among the 41 defensive players who completed at least 125 rushing attempts, McCaffrey was second in first yards (5.36) and 10 yards (44; 11 more than any other player), forced fumbles (60). . ) and 4 yards per carry (3.42), according to Pro Football Focus.
“He’s in an elite group,” the 49ers coordinator and offensive line coach told reporters this week. “You work with Peyton Manning, you work with Jonathan Ogden, you work with some of these Hall of Fame-type players who prepare like nobody else.
“They’re almost crazy about their preparation. They never give up. They leave no stone unturned in their game planning, work, physical preparation and Christian’s only elite group of players. They’ve been a handful, but they’re generational type players.”
Green Bay’s run defense has been broken for years. No team has allowed more yards per attempt in the Matt LaFleur era. That year, they ranked a respectable 23rd at 4.42 yards per attempt.
The last three games against Minnesota, Chicago and Dallas have been encouraging, but those teams don’t have electrifying passing games. There is no way the Packers can win if McCaffrey keeps running for 5 or 6 yards. But they also can’t win if they put too many eggs in that basket and let Purdy and the passing game tear them apart.
“It’s a challenge because he’s definitely fast and physical,” Wyatt said. “We’ve got some great guys on the D-line, too — me, Kenny, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary. We’re going up against a big O-line ourselves. It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us. Just do your job and we’ll be good, I promise to you.”
3. Defensive Front
Led by Jordan Love and Aaron Jones, Green Bay’s offense is on a roll. However, even after routing the Micah Parsons-led Cowboys defense last week, the Packers haven’t faced a defensive front the caliber of San Francisco’s.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was the second pick of the 2019 draft. Chase Young, who was acquired at the trade deadline, won Rookie of the Year as the second pick of the 2020 draft. Arik Armstead was the 17th pick of the 2015 draft. Javon Hargrave was a professional bowler for the Eagles.
“Freak show,” says coach Matt LaFleur.
