The Packers' short week began on an anxious note, knowing that a repeat of their sloppy Monday night performance wouldn't suffice in California. It ended with one of the more satisfying wins in recent memory.
Knowing that any kind of deficit would be difficult to overcome on the road, the Packers came out sharp. The game plan on both offense and defense seemed decidedly more aggressive than those of the first two weeks, with a willingness to take shots on offense and send extra pressure on D.
On Offense
Despite being without their top two options at left tackle, Aaron Rodgers and the offense looked polished for a second straight week, scoring on the opening drive and not allowing visiting noise to disrupt their game plan.
From the first drive onward, the passing game was emphasized, which kept the Niners from stacking the box on a vulnerable Packers' front. Knowing Rodgers may have fewer than three seconds on most drop-backs, LaFleur leaned on receivers capable of winning 1-on-1 matchups downfield - namely, Davante Adams and Robert Tonyan - while mixing in a dose of screen game via Aaron Jones.
The impressive aspect of this 30-point showing was the fact that the Packers didn't have to rely on long, run-first drives and a lopsided time-of-possession advantage to get the job done. Several deep completions to Adams, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling helped move the ball quickly, in addition to a handful of pass interference penalties that vaulted the Packers into Niners' territory.
On Defense
For the first 29 game minutes, the 49er offense looked lost against Joe Barry's defense. And, if not for long kickoff return that put the Niners in Packers territory inside that final minute of the first half - plus a questionable intentional grounding no-call - the game may have been put on ice early. But, most importantly, the Packers were effective in shutting down a rushing attack that had burned them multiple times in 2019.
Thanks to a particularly outstanding performance by the secondary, Jimmy Garoppolo struggled to consistently find his play makers downfield, committing two bad turnovers in the process. Filling in for Kevin King, rookie cornerback Eric Stokes turned in a promising performance against a talented Niners wide receiver corps., despite two questionable pass interference penalties.
While I'm not one to applaud allowing 28 total points or a go-ahead touchdown inside two minutes, one must consider the defense's overall performance a step in the right direction.
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