Three Overreactions From Packers’ Blowout Win Over 49ers

The Green Bay Packers eventually rolled over the injury-plagued San Francisco 49ers, the 38-10 score not quite telling the story of a challenging Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates a touchdown with a Lambeau Leap on Sunday vs. the 49ers. / Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers crushed the San Francisco 49ers 38-10.  

Jordan Love’s interception streak? Over.

The offense’s red-zone problems? Solved.

The defense’s turnover drought? Quenched.

Or, maybe not.

Here are this week’s Packers Overreactions.

1. It’s a Win … And Nothing More

Never apologize for a victory, coach Matt LaFleur likes to say after an ugly victory. No team is going to feel sorry for us, he likes to say when injury challenges hit his team.

Both lines fit after Sunday’s win against the 49ers.

The Packers started fast and finished with authority to improve to 8-3. However, after racing to a 17-0 lead, there was a lot of uninspiring football played before three takeaways fueled a blowout victory.

Let’s be real. The 49ers weren’t just playing without a few starters. They were playing without eight starters.

They weren’t just playing without eight starters. They were playing without eight top starters.

Quarterback Brock Purdy finished fourth in NFL MVP voting last year. Left tackle Trent Williams was first-team All-Pro the last three years. Brandon Aiyuk was their No. 1 receiver. Defensive end Nick Bosa was the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Moreover, Javon Hargrave is their best defensive tackle, Charvarius Ward is their best cornerback, Talanoa Hufanga is their best safety and Dre Greenlaw plays second fiddle at linebacker behind All-Pro Fred Warner.

Plus, starting defensive tackle Jordan Elliott missed the second half and fill-in starting cornerback Renardo Green was unable to finish the game.

Despite all of that, the 49ers trailed only 17-7 in the third quarter and were on the move until backup quarterback Brandon Allen’s pass went through Deebo Samuel’s hands for an interception by Xavier McKinney that started an avalanche.

McKinney’s interception set up a 26-yard touchdown drive. On the surrounding four series (two before, two after), the Packers gained one first down and 23 yards.

So, yes, the offense wound up going 5-of-5 in the red zone. Love’s nine-game interception streak was snapped. The defense forced three turnovers after zero the last two weeks.

So what? It was against the 49ers’ JV team.

“Yeah, that’s a really good football team, and they were down a lot of pieces,” LaFleur admitted. “That’s the reality of this league. I think for us, you have to take advantage of those opportunities when you do it. I hate it for them, they’ve had a lot of adversity.

“But, at the same time, I’m really only concerned about our group and our ability to go out there and do what we need to do to win games.”

The Packers will have to play a lot better to keep winning.

Up next, it’s the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving. They are only 5-6 but have won three in a row.

Then it’s a road trip to face the Detroit Lions, who’ve won nine in a row.

Then it’s a West Coast trip to battle the Seattle Seahawks, who’ve won two in a row to retake first place in the NFC West.

Green Bay will return home to host the New Orleans Saints, who are just 4-7 but have won two in a row.

Then, it’s the annual trek to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Vikings, who have won four in a row to improve to 9-2.

The finale is against the Bears, who are on a five-game skid but should have beaten the Packers.

2. Franchise-Changing Free Agents

As a first-year coach in 2019, Packers coach Matt LaFleur was given the rarest of gifts.

Impact free agents.

General manager Brian Gutekunst found the team’s long-lost checkbook buried in his sock drawer and signed Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos and Billy Turner. They were part of the core of a team that recorded what was an unprecedented three consecutive 13-win seasons.

In 2024, Gutekunst found the team debit card in the couch cushions, striking again for safety Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs.

Who knows if the Packers will get to the NFC Championship Game, like they did in 2019 and again in 2020, but McKinney and Jacobs havve been worth their weight in gold.

“They’ve been awesome,” LaFleur said. “They’ve obviously produced on the field, but I think just some of the stuff that you guys don’t get the opportunity to see, how they lead behind the scenes, has been pretty impressive. I think it’s not only about all the talk, it’s about the action, and those guys back up what they say.”

Jacobs ran for a relentless 106 yards and three touchdowns. Neither Fred Warner nor cramps could stop Jacobs. The 49ers hadn’t allowed a running back to run for 100 yards since Jonathan Taylor in October 2021.

By our count, he gained 81 of those yards after contact.

Jacobs has changed the offense. For years, the Packers were reliant on Aaron Rodgers. Last year when the Packers got hot down the stretch, it was a healthy Aaron Jones working in tandem with Jordan Love. It’s the same this year. 

The Packers are running the ball 50.9 percent of the time. That’s up from 43.0 percent last year and 42.3 percent during LaFleur’s first five seasons.

“I ain’t going to lie to you: Every week, I feel better and better about the decision,” Jacobs said of signing with the Packers. “So, for me, I’m happy, man. Even through the adversity and the rough times, I never feel like a certain type of way. I come in the building every day, I feel happy, and I try to give everything I have.”

McKinney delivered two enormous plays in the second half. First, he deflected a fourth-down pass to Christian McCaffrey. Next, he corralled a deflected pass for his seventh interception of the season. That’s as many interceptions as the Packers had as a team last season, and the most for a Packers player since Charles Woodson had seven in 2021.

“That's what I came here to do,” he said. “That's why I was brought in, to be able to make big-time plays when we really need it. So, credit to a great call with (defensive coordinator Jeff) Haf(ley). Credit to everybody doing they job and that's just going out there and me being able to make a play. That's really it.”

The Packers will have money to spend this offseason. The ultimate overreaction here would be Gutekunst seeing he’s pretty good at this free-agency thing and he does it again.

3. Red Zone

Coming full circle in this story, Green Bay’s red-zone offense was 27th in the NFL entering the game with a touchdown rate of 48.7 percent.

It wasn’t just this season. Green Bay’s red-zone attack had been hovering around 50 percent the past few seasons. Against the 49ers, the Packers had five red-zone possessions and scored five touchdowns. It was their first day of 5-for-5 (or better) since 2017 against the Bears.

“I think it all started with the run game,” said quarterback Jordan Love, who started the game with a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft and ended it with a touchdown to Malik Heath. “I think we were making some big plays in the run game.

“The o-line was doing a great job giving Josh some lanes, and then just handing the ball to 8. Three touchdowns on the ground for him, big night for him. I think it all started up front. Obviously, Tuck had that screen; it was great execution there. Like I said before, it just comes down to executing the plays and finding ways to get in the end zone.”

The formula?

The Packers ran 16 plays in the red zone. Thirteen were runs – seven by Josh Jacobs, three by Chris Brooks and two by Emanuel Wilson – and three were passes. The first 10 games, the Packers had 53 runs and 46 passes.

“I just told them to give me the ball,” Jacobs said with a laugh.

Seriously, though, Jacobs approached LaFleur and asked for more opportunities. 

“I was just like, ‘Man, trust me! Allow me to figure it out,’” Jacobs said. “Because I always like ‘us’ when we’re down there. I always like myself, I always like betting on myself in that situation. Especially when it’s a yard or two, I’m like, ‘Man, I can get hit in the backfield and figure it out.’ So, he just believed in me today.”

The next four opponents will pose a major challenge. The Dolphins are seventh in red-zone defense, the Lions are second, the Seahawks are 13th (but almost 10th) and the Saints are sixth.

Did the Packers find a red-zone solution on Sunday? Or was the only solution facing a beaten-up defense?

The answer to that question will determine the fate of the season.

Latest Green Bay Packers News 

With the Week 12 schedule complete (for the NFC), here is the updated playoff outlook for the #Packers.https://t.co/860Sfu1MJF

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 25, 2024

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