Packers Fall to 49ers in Heartbreaking Fashion

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Photo: Evan Siegle - packers.com

Aaron Rodgers exiting field Jan. 23, 2022

By all rights this game should have gone down as a Lambeau Field classic. With temperatures in the single digits and a picturesque snowfall rolling in for the second half, the Packers and 49ers faced off in an unexpected defensive showdown.  While it was cold, there was little wind for most of the game, and the conditions did not have a significant impact on the offenses, though both struggled mightily.

For the 49ers, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was playing through serious thumb and shoulder injuries sustained over the past several weeks, and it clearly impacted his ability to throw. Garoppolo missed several open receivers, and his inability to push the ball to the outside with velocity led directly to his lone interception, a brilliant play by safety Adrian Amos to deny San Francisco points near the end of the first half. With Garoppolo ineffective, the 49ers were unable to muster a single offensive touchdown as Rashan Gary and a returning Za’Darius Smith created constant pressure, and the Packers’ secondary, featuring a returning Jaire Alexander, blanketed the 49er receivers. The trio of Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, and Alexander held star receiver Deebo Samuel to just 44 yards on 3 receptions, and breakout second year receiver Brandon Aiyuk to no catches.

The 49ers don’t always need their quarterback to play well to win, and in the past, they have managed to run with impunity against Green Bay, but with Kenny Clark and De’Vondre Campbell plugging the middle for the Packers, and Rashan Gary holding the edge, the San Francisco run game sputtered, gaining 106 yards on 29 carries.

Offensive Issues

Unfortunately, the Packers had their own offensive issues, and after a brilliant first drive where they never even faced a third down, they were completely helpless against the San Francisco defense. That first drive was highlighted by several effortless throws to Davante Adams, who caught all three of his targets for 35 yards, and outstanding power running by AJ Dillon, who punched in the touchdown from 6 yards out, carrying several defenders into the end zone with him. It all fell apart on their next drive when linebacker Fred Warner jarred the ball loose from Marcedes Lewis. The 49ers were not able to capitalize on the turnover, but the Packer offense was never the same, and would only approach the 49er red zone twice more, resulting in a single field goal.

The reason for the Packers’ struggles is more complicated than a simple quarterback injury, but it originally stems from poor decision from Matt LaFleur before the game even started. The Packers hoped that David Bakhtiari would be ready for this game after playing in the season finale, but his knee was uncomfortable in the leadup to the game, and he was a late scratch. Instead of using Yosh Nijman at left tackle, as they have done all season, they instead decided to move the returning Billy Turner from his usual right tackle spot to left tackle, and play Dennis Kelly at right tackle.

This decision was a disaster, and while Turner held up fine on the left side, Kelly was consistently beaten on the right side, especially by star edge rusher Nick Bosa. Making matter worse, LaFleur rarely gave Kelly any help in the form of a tight end or chipping running back. Once the Packers’ opening script ran out, the Packers’ creativity ran out with it as their receivers were consistently unable to get open against a conservative two-deep shell. Under normal circumstances, Rodgers could have bought time, and improvised his way to a decent offense, but with Kelly, and to some extent Lucas Patrick unable to hold up in pass protection, the offense never had a chance.

Rodgers did himself no favors, focusing on Davante Adams to a fault, but Randall Cobb was blanketed on nearly every play, and pressure robbed Rodgers of a few potential big plays to Allen Lazard and Equanimeous St. Brown. Even when he did improvise his way to a big play near the end of the first half on a bomb to Aaron Jones, Jones made a mistake by cutting inside in an attempted fake on safety Jaquiski Tartt. Jones should have accelerated towards the end zone, and the sideline, rather than allow himself to be tackled in bounds. The misstep likely cost the team a difference-making touchdown.

Special Teams Again   

Even though the offense struggled, they still would have provided enough points for the win if not for the Packer special teams unit, yet again. Special teams was the constant Achilles’ Heel for this team all season, and nearly every failure reared its ugly head in this game. Mason Crosby’s lack of leg strength was apparent in the cold of Lambeau as he routinely failed to reach the end zone on his kickoffs. The Packers’ kickoff coverage was atrocious as a result, and 49er returns of 32 and 45 yards ensured that San Francisco always started with good field position. Punter Corey Bojorquez also struggled, failing to create fair catches, and at one point, shanking a 36-yarder out of bounds. Most importantly, Mason Crosby had a field goal blocked near the end of the first half, and with just 4:50 remaining in the game, Bojorquez had his punt from the Green Bay 12 blocked and returned for a touchdown.

The blocked punt was a complete breakdown of special teams blocking, as the 49ers overloaded the right side, and the Packers failed to slide protections properly. 49ers’ defensive end Jordan Willis managed to single up undersized packer long snapper Steven Wirtel and effortlessly push him into the backfield. Wirtel did a poor job, getting too upright and losing his leverage, but Henry Black should have slid over to assist once it was clear Wirtel was in danger. Bojorquez also took too long to get set and was not snappy enough in getting the kick out.

The two major blunders directly resulted in a 10-point swing, more than enough to give San Francisco the game, and to add insult to injury, on the final, game-winning kick by Robbie Gould, the Packers only put ten men on the field.

According to Football Outsiders, this was the single worst special teams performance by any team in the NFL this season. The Packers also had the third worst performance in their second game against the Bears. The fact is that special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton failed to make any improvements all season, and given the Super Bowl aspirations of this team, it’s inexcusable. Blocking issues crept up in almost every game. Bojorquez struggled consistently as a holder, and his punting net average suffered in the second half. It’s a minor miracle that Amari Rodgers had a solid game as a return man, and the team’s failure to activate returner David Moore remains baffling. Finally, Matt LaFleur attempted to aid the unit by playing more starters on special teams, however this decision blew up in their faces when Oren Burks landed on running back AJ Dillon in kickoff coverage, breaking Dillon’s ribs. Dillon was one of the few stand-out offensive performers in this game until he was injured, and while Aaron Jones is quite capable, the team suffered in the second half without Dillon.

The Packers now face an uncertain future with Aaron Rodgers weighing his options, Davante Adams an impending free agent, and a difficult salary cap situation. If the Packers are forced into a rebuilding situation, hopefully they invest more in their special teams unit for the next run, whenever that may be.