The Green Bay Packers were no match for the San Francisco 49ers when the teams first met in Week 12, so Matt LaFleur has some work to do to flip the script on Sunday night.
The NFC Championship game will be a rematch of what was supposed to be an epic regular-season matchup. The NFL flexed the Week 12 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers into Sunday Night Football hoping for a great game. Instead, they got a 37-8 49ers’ blowout victory.
San Francisco dominated Green Bay, so the Packers will have plenty to fix if they want to win in the NFC Championship Game this Sunday. Much like Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur and his coaching staff are doing this week, FanSided went back to the tape of the first matchup to try and figure out what went wrong for Green Bay in Week 12.
Here are our findings.
The Packers need improved play from the offensive line
The most glaring issue was the startlingly poor performance from the Packers’ offensive line. Throughout the game, Aaron Rodgers was running for his life as the Packers’ front couldn’t do much to slow down the 49ers’ pass rush.
Rodgers was sacked five times in the game and was pressured on myriad other occasions. The line also had its share of issues opening up holes for the running game, leaving Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams to fight off tacklers in the backfield.
The 49ers have dominated in the trenches all year, showcasing that in last week’s win against the Minnesota Vikings. Dalvin Cook was held under 20 rushing yards while Kirk Cousins was harassed throughout. Finding a way to keep Rodgers upright along with opening up holes for Jones is the top priority for the Packers.
The secondary receivers need to step up
Aaron Rodgers completed 23 passes in that game, but 14 of them went to Jamaal Williams and Davante Adams. The rest of the receivers got a combined five receptions for 23 yards, while Jimmy Graham only chipped in with one catch for seven yards.
On the rare occasion Rodgers had time to stand in the pocket, he was often waiting helplessly for someone to get open downfield. When that didn’t happen, it would lead to check down attempts or trying to make something happen with Adams.
The 49ers will likely try to take Adams away, perhaps with All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman. After seeing him rack up 160 yards receiving and two touchdowns in Green Bay’s Divisional Round win over the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco will circle him in its gameplay. Someone else on the Packers’ depth chart, whether it is Allen Lazard, Geronimo Allison or Marques Valdez-Scantling, needs to make some plays to keep the offense moving.
Contain George Kittle
The Packers actually did a decent job containing the 49ers’ running game, but they had no answer for tight end George Kittle, who torched them for 129 yards and a touchdown on six catches. Kittle was a matchup nightmare for the Packers, who tried throwing different combinations of linebackers, safeties, and corners at him with little success.
The defining play in the contest was Kittle’s 61-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, making it 30-8 and putting the game out of reach. The play was brilliantly designed by Kyle Shanahan, who put three tight ends on the field and had Kittle fake an out route before running to the post, where he was wide open due to a coverage breakdown.
Kittle often found himself open in the middle of the field, giving Jimmy Garoppolo big chunk plays to extend drives. Finding a way to stop Kittle is of vital importance for Mike Pettine and the defensive staff.
Jam receivers at the line
The numbers say Garoppolo was sacked three times, but the Packers had trouble getting to him because the gameplan called for Garoppolo to get the ball out quickly. Garoppolo often threw quick-hitting patterns to his outside receivers, making it difficult for Green Bay’s pass rush to get home.
This is something the 49ers have done all year, and a formula the New England Patriots have used for years to keep Tom Brady clean. The reason it works so well is teams are often hesitant to jam receivers at the line, creating separation to run those quick slants which move the chains.
The best way to slow down those outside receivers is bump them at the line, disrupting the timing of the patterns and forcing Garoppolo to hold onto the ball. That should buy more time for the Packers’ talented pass rushers to hit Garoppolo, or at least force him to throw from a messy pocket.
There is no guarantee all these tactics work, but executing even a few of them will give Green Bay a much better chance in the rematch. The 49ers are the better team, but if the Packers can clean up these areas, this should be a much more exciting contest on Sunday night.