Green Bay @ San Fransisco 2019 NFC Championship Rematch.
Finally, we have a Thursday night match up worthy of prime time featuring last seasons Super Bowl runners up against the team they beat to reach the final. However, with both sides plagued by injuries and the 49ers having had Covid issues it may not turn out to be the spectacle we are hoping for. Still, even with a host of starters set to miss the game, it is still worth a watch and it could have serious repercussions come January given that both teams have ambitions of playing postseason.
This one has a lot of imponderables however we do know the following…
Green Bay’s Run Defense is Awful!
The Packers are still top of the NFC North, however, it was painful (as a fan) watching last weeks performance against the Vikings, where Dalvin Cook pretty much ran them into the ground. He scored all four of the Minnesota TDs and ran for 163 yards. Add to this 85 yards of penalties some dropped passes and a costly fumble, and even a near-flawless Rodgers performance will not be enough for the win. With the trade deadline passed and no offensive or defensive help added one has to wonder what is going through the minds of the Green Bay Front Office! Dropping this one will leave them tied for the lead with the Bears and the same number of wins as the 49ers.
San Francisco Still in Super Bowl Hang Over Mode.
The 49ers are having problems of their own with QB Jimmy Garoppolo looking more like a back up than a starter with nearly as many picks than TD’s plus they have had some bad luck with injuries. They also had an interrupted practise this week due to Covid infections which at one stage threatened the game. What they have been good at though is running the ball and like last year they will probably emphasise the ground game in this one. They will be without star running back Raheem Mostert who gashed the Packers D line in the Championship game last year and the next RB on the depth chard Tevin Coleman is also out tonight.
So Who Wins?
Tough one to call however even although Cook was given a free pass by the Green Bay defense last week Rodgers still came close to salvaging things and we are sure that the whole of the D Line will want to make amends for their poor showing. The 49ers with key injuries at running back may need to rely on Jimmy G and the one part of the Packers D which is quite good are the corners so we will go with the Packers, but don’t think they will cover the 7 point spread.
