Grades after win over 49ers

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Matt LaFleur always says a team doesn’t need to apologize for winning the NFL.

The Green Bay Packers certainly weren’t going to apologize for their win over the San Francisco 49ers, who lost eight starters before the ball was kicked off at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

“We didn’t have a quarterback and we won three games. That’s not an excuse,” Packers cornerback Kasin Nixon said.

The Packers built a 17-point lead before a pair of big plays late in the game helped them turn the game into a blowout.

Overall, the Packers did what they were supposed to do. They defeated a small team that had bullied them in years past. They did it in a throwaway manner.

The Packers are 8-3, look great in the NFC playoff picture, and are approaching their schedule.

Next on the agenda is a Thanksgiving night showdown with the red-hot Miami Dolphins, who have won three games in a row.

In the meantime, let’s dive into this week’s Packers report card.

Skip attack

Jordan Love’s final numbers: 13 of 23 passes for 163 yards with two touchdown passes.

Those numbers would have looked better if not for two drops, including Christian Watson’s big drop for what should have been a 49-yard touchdown before halftime.

Love’s pocket presence has been poor at times. From pockets that looked relatively clean, he came across two bags.

For one reason or another, Green Bay’s passing offense has yet to find its stride. If it’s not Love turning the ball over, receivers are missing passes. If receivers don’t miss passes, penalties kill passes.

Given Josh Jacobs’ strong performance and ground game, Green Bay’s passing offense should theoretically be easier.

This did not happen.

They’ll need to find him with the high-scoring Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions teams next on the schedule.

It’s been good enough to date, but won’t be good enough against a stronger team.

Rating: C

Rush attack

Remember the days when free agency was a quiet period for the Packers?

Where would this team be without two major free agent acquisitions this offseason?

On offense, it was Josh Jacobs, who was brought in to replace the favored Aaron Jones.

Jones is having a good season in Minnesota, but there is no doubt that Jacobs is a better fit for the type of offense Matt LaFleur wants to run.

Jacobs was a workhorse again, rushing for 106 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns, a career-high.

There were days in the not-too-distant past when the 49ers were the team that bullied the Packers into oblivion.

However, on this day, it was Jacobs and the Packers who struck back at the bully.

They asked Jacobs to lead their team to victory, and he delivered.

Rating: A

Pass the defense

This phase of the defense became much easier after Brock Purdy was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

However, after last week’s dismal performance against the Bears’ Caleb Williams, this team needed a comeback game.

Brandon Allen had some good chances, but ultimately wasn’t consistent enough to be successful against Jeff Hafley’s defense.

Xavier McKinney intercepted the ball. Lucas Van Ness and Rashan Gary stole the ball from Allen. Quay Walker nearly intercepted the ball.

Any time the defense holds the team to 10 points, it’s a good day for the office.

Allen finished with 199 yards on 29 passes and a 76.7 passer rating with one touchdown and McKinney’s interception. The touchdown — his first since 2021 — looked like a bust between Walker and Evan Williams.

The Packers ended up shutting down the backup quarterback for the most part and stripping him of the ball twice. This will always bring high marks.

Rating: B

Rush defense

Kasin Nixon probably said it best.

“We knew they would have the ball because they didn’t have their defender.”

Based on this, Green Bay’s defensive mandate should have been fairly simple as Brock Purdy was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Don’t let Christian McCaffery beat you.

The packers, to their credit, did not do this.

McCaffery may be recovering from two lower-body injuries that shortened his season, but he hasn’t looked like the explosive force the Packers saw 10 months ago in a playoff loss in Santa Clara.

He finished that game with 31 yards on 11 carries. He also failed on a reception that was forced by Nixon and recovered by Carl Brooks late in the fourth quarter.

“God rewards those who run to the ball,” Nixon said of his forced fumble in the fourth quarter. Linebackers coach Anthony Campanile coined the phrase..

The mistake nearly ended Sunday’s game.

There was one stage of the game that could not cause defeat.

They weren’t just good, they were dominant.

Rating: A

Special teams

Green Bay’s 17-7 lead looked like it would be slim at best after Deebo Samuel returned the opening kickoff of the second half 82 yards deep in Green Bay territory.

Yes, he was negated by a holding penalty that was questionable at best, but it’s curious why a team playing against a backup quarterback would risk losing any field position to a returner as dangerous as Samuel was on throughout his career.

The decision made there was strange, to say the least.

It was also a relatively dull day for the group that was the hero of last week’s game. Part of this has to do with the level of futility the returning San Francisco team has achieved.

They had penalties that negated a big kick return from Samuel, as well as two good kick returns from rookie Ricky Pearsall.

Brandon McManus completed all of his kicks, including his first attempt of the season over 50 yards by a Packers kicker. His presence has stabilized a situation that has been a roller coaster since Mason Crosby left.

Rating: B

Coaching

The previously mentioned concern about the starting block falls on the coaching staff.

When Brandon Allen, who hasn’t started a game since 2021, is the opposing quarterback, you don’t put yourself at any risk by giving the ball to someone like Deebo Samuel or Jordan Mason, who were both dangerous with the ball in their hands. hands.

The approach to player rotation was also strange on both sides of the ball.

At 17-0, the Packers had a package that included Corey Ballentine, who hit coverage on third down.

Ty’Ron Hopper, who hasn’t played defensive tackle all season, took several hits at linebacker.

Gaining experience from players is understandable when the game is in hand. This game didn’t exist.

The offense ended up scoring 38 points while the defense gave up just 10. It’s hard to complain too much about the way the coaching staff handled the game, but it certainly could have been better.

Rating: B

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