After a 48-32 dismantling of the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, the Green Bay Packers travel to the Bay Area to take on the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers and their powerful offense. How Green Bay’s defense will fare against Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk is anyone’s guess. But there are specific schemes that they can use to slow down San Francisco’s stars.
For a defense that has struggled for a good portion of the year, they held the top-ranked Cowboys offense to only 325 total yards and 16 points through the first three quarters. They also forced two interceptions, including one that Darnell Savage returned for a score.
Matt LaFleur and Joe Berry put the reserves in for most of the fourth quarter, allowing Dallas to pad the stats by scoring 16 more points. But it was a brutal beatdown for most of the game.
Not all of the credit can go to the Packers’ defense. Dallas came out flat, and Dak Prescott was not on the same page with CeeDee Lamb for the entire first half.
Even though the Cowboys’ offense was statistically ranked first in the league, the 49ers have an arsenal of weapons. They average 398 yards and 29 points per game.
Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy out of Iowa State looked like an MVP candidate for most of the season because of the players around him. Kyle Shanahan, one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, has also devised a scheme that’s less reliant on quarterback play.
San Francisco’s most dangerous weapon this season has been McCaffrey, who many consider to be the best running back in the league. Stopping him is Green Bay’s No. 1 concern, as he is extraordinarily nimble and explosive in the open field.
Green Bay’s run defense has been an issue all year, and stopping McCaffrey will be challenging. The best running backs they have faced this year are rookie Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, and Austin Ekeler.
Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and De’Vondre Campbell must step up to neutralize CMC.
The Packers have also had trouble covering Kittle in the past. Campbell or Quay Walker will need to have a big day if Kittle is to have a mediocre one. One will likely cover Kittle unless Joe Berry runs a nickel defense, bringing in Keisean Nixon to help. Nixon can match Kittle’s speed, but he may not have the strength to disrupt Kittle’s route-running or bring him down.
Green Bay’s secondary should not be much of a concern because Jaire Alexander will take on Aiyuk while Carrington Valentine covers Ray-Ray McCloud. Purdy, 24, can make some deep, accurate throws. But since he is still a young player, blitzing him and making him uncomfortable in the pocket can force some bad decisions.
The one thing that Purdy can do in this situation, though, is get the ball to McCaffrey on a screen or a dump-off if he’s not pass-blocking.
But even if the Packers shut down McCaffrey, Kittle, and Aiyuk, San Francisco can still use Samuel on sweeps and reverses. Deebo is a force to be reckoned with. He’s just as explosive as McCaffrey, but Father Time is catching up with him.
Samuel, 28, isn’t as quick as he was when he was younger, and Green Bay’s defense is young. They have the speed and energy to catch up with Deebo and possibly neutralize him, but it won’t be easy.
San Francisco’s offense looks too good to stop, especially for a young team like Green Bay. The Niners have gotten close to going to the Super Bowl the past two years, with losses in the last two NFC Championship games.
The motivational edge Matt LaFleur and the Packers have is the 2021 NFC Divisional loss to San Francisco. Jordan Love was a backup, but some of Green Bay’s defensive starters, including Gary, Alexander, Smith, and Kenny Clark, were defensive starters in that game. LaFleur and Shanahan are also very close, as they were both offensive assistants in Washington under Mike Shanahan, so LaFleur will want to get revenge on his friend from two years ago.
Suppose the Packers can execute defensively against San Francisco’s offensive weapons, and Jordan Love continues to play well against a very good defense. Then Green Bay may have a fighting chance. If they don’t, the Niners will win their fifth-straight game against the Packers in the postseason through the last 12 years.
