There’s no doubt the Green Bay Packers have had their share of good fortune this season, beginning with Jordan Love’s opening-night injury turning out to be a short-term one.
They faced the Los Angeles Rams without their all-world receivers. Rookie Marvin Harrison exited the Arizona Cardinals game early with a concussion. The Houston Texans were missing Nico Collins.
Now they get their arch nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers, who will be without their most important players on both sides of the ball. As they say, it’s not who you play, but when you play them.
With Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa not making the trip to Lambeau, the Packers will face journeyman Brandon Allen at QB and a Niners’ pass rush that looks completely different – just ask Geno Smith, who went off once Bosa exited stage left last Sunday with a hip injury.
We apologize for nothing. You still have to go out and make plays, blah, blah, blah. This Packers team was already motivated to play the team that knocked them out of the playoffs and has been a thorn in their side for years. They’ve typically handled them at home, winning seven of the last eight. And with two home losses already, Sunday is the perfect time to get revenge.
There are some parallels to last November, when an NFC West team (Rams) came to town without their QB, and the Pack got to terrorize backup Brett Rypien. Allen will have plenty of playmakers around him, of course. Tight end George Kittle returns after missing last week, and Christian McCaffrey is making his third start and seems to be finding his legs.
Expect Kyle Shanahan to find ways to get the ball in Deebo Samuel’s hands. He’s been noticeably quiet lately and may be due for a breakout, though he’s been injured off and on all season. The Packers will be missing two key guys on defense, as Jaire Alexander and Edgerrin Cooper have been ruled out.
I imagine they’ll also miss the Thanksgiving night game against the Miami Dolphins. Hopefully, they’ll be back for the Detroit Lions game the following week.
Before the injury news, the Packers were slight favorites, marking the first time in 36 games that the Niners were underdogs. I didn’t like that they were coming off a gut-wrenching home loss and, at 5-5, were coming to Green Bay basically with their season on the line and a road game in Buffalo to follow.
With Purdy and Bosa out, it’s hard to see the Pack messing this one up unless they turn the ball over multiple times. Love is coming off his best performance of the season, and he and the Pack’s talented pass-blocking unit should feast against San Francisco’s toothless pass rush. Bosa has 52 QB pressures this season, more than all of Green Bay’s pass rushers combined. Yes, he will be missed.
Love is off the injury report, which opens up everything for this offense. San Francisco likes to take away the deep pass, so this might be a week in which Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft are featured a bit.
Defensively, without Purdy, the Pack will expect a heavy dose of McCaffrey and Samuel on the ground. With Cooper out, fellow rookie Ty’Ron Hopper may get a look. We’ll see if Quay Walker continues to be a liability and whether he continues to get nearly all the defensive snaps.
Both teams have struggled in the red zone this season, and without Purdy, it’s doubtful the Niners solving that this week. If the Pack can convert a couple of those chances and take care of the football, it’s hard to see them falling short.
San Francisco has yet to beat a winning team this season. That trend continues this week.
Packers 27
49ers 20
