Packers vs. 49ers: Full San Francisco Game Preview
Life won't get any easier for the San Francisco 49ers, as they prepare to host the undefeated Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium in Week 4.
The 1-2 49ers are coming off back-to-back road drubbings at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively—games in which San Francisco's defense allowed a combined 90 points.
Meanwhile, the Packers continued their impressive 2015 NFL campaign with a 38-28 home victory against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense seemingly unstoppable, one has to wonder whether or not the defensively challenged 49ers even stand a chance.
Based on statistics, they don't. The 49ers defense ranks No. 31 in the league with 93 points allowed. And the offense—dead last in total points scored (45)—doesn't seem to stand a chance either.
But games aren't played on paper. And the 49ers have won the last four bouts versus Green Bay, including two playoff matchups.
But those San Francisco teams were vastly different than the one struggling to find headway three weeks into this season.
Let's see if the 49ers have a shot to rediscover some momentum against a Packers team looking stronger by the week.
Location: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Week 3 Results and Recap
1 of 6About everything that could go wrong for the 49ers in Week 3 did go wrong.
San Francisco lost its first NFC West divisional showdown to Arizona 47-7. The lopsided score doesn't even tell the whole story.
The game started off on a horrible note. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick opened up the first two 49ers offensive drives with interceptions returned for touchdowns en route to a four-pick afternoon and a 16.7 passer rating—the worst of his career as a starter.
The Cardinals' interceptions set the tone for their defense, which held the 49ers to just 156 all-purpose yards.
Offensively, San Francisco continued to struggle. As a whole, the offense finished with a minus-19.7 cumulative grade per Pro Football Focus.
On the flip side, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer picked apart the 49ers secondary much like Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had done the week prior. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who found himself frequently matched up against 49ers linebackers, amassed 134 yards and two touchdowns during the rout.
Head coach Jim Tomsula tried to explain what happened via the team's website.
"Bad day," Tomsula said. "It starts and ends with me. Hats off to the Arizona Cardinals for what they were able to accomplish today."
Tomsula shouldering the blame for the loss is an admirable thing. But the mess that was San Francisco's effort transcends just the head coach.
And it prompts further questions about the 49ers' current direction.
News and Notes
2 of 6Kaepernick's Issues Resurface
In Week 1, quarterback Colin Kaepernick looked more like the game-managing, no-mistakes signal-caller that would simply be effective enough at keeping the offense moving forward. He backed up that effort with a promising Week 2 performance despite the 49ers trailing big in the fourth quarter in Pittsburgh.
And then Week 3 happened.
Many of Kaepernick's bad habits were on full display once more. The quarterback continued to make mistakes in his progression reads, failed to maintain pocket presence and frequently threw off his back foot—all elements that typically spell disaster.
“One hundred percent my fault” Kaepernick said postgame via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “There’s nothing anyone in that locker room that could have done to change that game the way I played today.”
Tomsula later stated via Inman that he never considered benching his No. 1 quarterback, and stated, “Colin’s our quarterback.”
Still, the seemingly endless wait for Kaepernick to progress continues. And it will certainly prompt more questions surrounding whether or not the 49ers will maintain their patience with him.
The Defense Flounders
49ers radio analyst Ted Robinson appeared on KNBR 680 Tuesday and noted how many times he saw San Francisco's defense simply give up on plays.
Linebacker NaVorro Bowman was one player who clearly demonstrated his frustrations with the defensive efforts. According to Eric Branch of SFGate.com, Bowman raised his hands in disgust at least four times prior to halftime.
Defensively, San Francisco ranks near the bottom of most categories. The 49ers are 31st in points allowed, 25th in yards allowed, 26th in passing yards allowed and 30th in rushing touchdowns allowed.
As a whole, the defense has a minus-22.8 cumulative grade on the season, per Pro Football Focus.
That's a problem. A big one.
CB Shareece Wright Wants Out
Five-year veteran cornerback Shareece Wright was signed to a one-year free-agent deal this offseason to supplement a questionable secondary. Despite starting in the preseason, Wright has been relegated to the inactive list in each of the 49ers' first three games.
As first reported by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Wright is now seeking a trade or release from his new team.
Wright has never been an elite cornerback at the NFL level. He struggled with the San Diego Chargers over his first four years and also didn't impress much during the preseason. This eventually led to the 49ers placing younger defensive backs Kenneth Acker, Keith Reaser and Dontae Johnson into active roles during the regular season.
But, perhaps, the 49ers may try shaking up the secondary considering how permeable it has been in recent weeks.
Latest Injury News
3 of 6
| Player | Position | Injury |
| Dres Anderson (IR) | WR | Knee |
| Daniel Kilgore (IR) | C | Ankle |
| DeAndre Smelter (NFI) | WR | Knee |
| Jerome Simpson (Out) | WR | Suspension |
| Vernon Davis (Questionable) | TE | Knee |
| Bruce Ellington (Questionable) | WR | Ankle |
| Reggie Bush (Questionable) | RB | Calf |
| Vance McDonald (Questionable) | TE | Knee |
Tight end Vernon Davis suffered a knee sprain in Week 3, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (h/t CBS Sports). While his injury isn't believed to be serious, per Barrows, Davis' potential absence from Week 4 would leave the 49ers with just two healthy tight ends on their roster—Blake Bell and Garrett Celek.
San Francisco enjoyed some success with multiple tight end sets in Week 1, so elongated absences from Davis and fellow TE Vance McDonald could continue to hamper the offense's efforts.
After being removed with a calf injury in Week 1, veteran running back Reggie Bush is back practicing with the team, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
Bush does give quarterback Colin Kaepernick a viable receiving option out of the backfield, which could help San Francisco's signal-caller in various situations where defenses are stacking the box or clamping down on the quarterback's receiving targets.
It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Geep Chryst incorporates Bush into the offense in Week 4 should he be healthy enough to go.
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Key Matchups
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Colin Kaepernick vs. Aaron Rodgers
OK, so quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Aaron Rodgers won't actually face off against one another on the field Sunday. But their respective efforts will be compared when the final whistle blows during this Week 4 matchup.
Rodgers is coming off a five-touchdown performance in Week 3, and the veteran QB is, with little doubt, playing at his highest level.
And on the other side of the spectrum is Kaepernick.
Kaepernick does have a career-129.4 passer rating against Green Bay—the team for which Kaepernick rooted for growing up.
Will there be any shift in those statistics on Sunday?
49ers Secondary vs. Randall Cobb and James Jones
Rodgers doesn't need much help dissecting secondaries. And the 49ers defensive backfield seems to need all the help it can get against upper-echelon quarterbacks.
Part of San Francisco's game plan will be figuring out a way to stop wide receivers Randall Cobb and James Jones from doing damage on the stat sheet. The receiving tandem has combined for 32 receptions, 464 yards and eight touchdowns on the season so far.
Veteran cornerback Tramaine Brock and other younger members of the 49ers secondary will be tasked with limiting what Rodgers, Cobb and Jones can do.
And things could get ugly really quick if San Francisco's passing defense continues along its minus-14.8 PFF ranking on the year.
Carlos Hyde vs. Packers Front Seven
Green Bay's defense currently ranks No. 27 in the league with 383 yards allowed on the ground. And this unit boasts a minus-5.2 PFF grade over three contests.
Kaepernick has already torched the Packers defense with his legs and, perhaps, we should expect more of that during the game. But the 49ers will want to figure out a way to get running back Carlos Hyde back into the mix.
After a 168-yard performance in Week 1, Hyde has been held to just 43 and 51 yards in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively.
San Francisco wants to reestablish its ground game. And it won't be easy with teams likely stacking the box against the run. But if Hyde can take advantage of a suspect run defense from the Packers, the entire nature of the 49ers offense should change.
And this unit will need all the help it can get.
Matchup X-Factors
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49ers X-Factor of the Week: The O-Line
Much of what the 49ers will need to do on Sunday will hinge on the abilities of their offensive line.
This unit has been questioned since the start of the season, and the right side of the line is particularly worrisome. Right tackle Erik Pears and right guard Jordan Devey haven't exactly been stellar over the course of three games.
Pears has allowed one sack and eight quarterback pressures so far, per PFF. Devey has also allowed a sack and six pressures during the same span.
Run blocking has also been particularly problematic over the course of the season. San Francisco's O-line grades out with a minus-10.4 mark, which likely explains the recent struggles the 49ers have endured in getting their ground attack going.
One cannot reasonably expect San Francisco's defense to completely shut down quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the vaunted Green Bay offense. The best way to limit the damage will be to keep the Packers offense out of action for as long as possible.
And that means winning the time-of-possession battle.
This starts up front. The 49ers have to be better about winning the battles in the trenches and not letting Packers defensive standouts like defensive tackle Mike Daniels and linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers impose their respective wills.
Prediction: Packers 30, 49ers 17
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Odds Shark currently lists the Packers as obvious favorites—an estimated final score of 23.3 to 18.3.
It's not hard to understand why. Green Bay is averaging 32 points per game on the season, while the 49ers are dead last in the same category.
If there is a benefit for the 49ers in this contest, it is that head coach Jim Tomsula's squad will be playing at home and on a full week's rest. Meanwhile, the Packers have to travel to the Bay Area on a short week, as they played on Monday Night Football.
This gives Packers head coach Mike McCarthy's squad a little less preparation in advance of the game and should allow sufficient time for the 49ers to figure out all that has gone wrong over the last two weeks.
Kaepernick seems to bring his A-game against Green Bay, and we have seen him bounce back from ugly performances before.
Sunday presents yet another opportunity, but will it be enough to knock off the undefeated Packers?
Probably not.
At this point in the 49ers' whirlwind of a season, the best hope should be for a much cleaner game from San Francisco. Look for the 49ers to tighten up their defense while establishing some sort of offensive continuity throughout.
Even if all that happens in respectable fashion, it's nearly impossible to side with the upset.
San Francisco is probably going to fall to 1-3 after Sunday's bout.
Prediction: Packers 30, 49ers 17
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist covering the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report. Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
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