2023 Season

[CrimsonCrew]

Quick review of the Packers' strong end to the season for some context. First, I will point out that several of their early season losses were close, with four of six being by four points or fewer. Detroit and Minnesota both beat them by 14.

W vs. LA Chargers, 23-20. Strong game for Love, as he went for 322 yards and two TDs. Pretty slow start, but he had two long TD drives in the second half to seal it.

W at Lions, 29-22. Another strong game from Love, with 268 yards and three TDs. They jumped on the Lions early with two long TD drives followed by a fumble-return TD to go up 20-6. Lions lost three fumbles in the game (all by Goff). Game wasn't as close as it appeared, as the Lions scored a TD and two-point conversion with 41 seconds left.

W vs. KC, 27-19. Another good game for Love, 267 and three TDs. Really short first half (basically just five drives) and the Packers jumped out at the beginning to lead 14-3 and 14-6 at halftime. Defense did a good job in this one, getting a three-and-out and INT to end two late drives by KC.

L at Giants, 24-22. Just when they were looking like a real playoff contender, they inexplicably dropped one against the Giants. Love had a down game with 218 yards, one TD and an INT. GB fumbled and had an INT late in the first half, but neither actually led to points for the Giants. However, a muffed punt led to the TD that put the Giants ahead to start the second half. Oddly the Giants then muffed a punt which led to a FG for the Packers. Kicker missed a 45-yarder that would have made the difference in terms of points, though at the time it would only have gotten them within five points. They scored a TD with 1:33 remaining, but missed the two-point conversion to tie. Giants were able to put together a drive and kill the clock. NY rushed for 209 yards, though 71 of that was the QB.

L vs. the Buccaneers, 34-20. Mayfield had a huge day, going 381 and 4 TDs. This was Aaron Jones' first game back from injury. It was a close game at the half, but the Bucs scored TDs on three consecutive long drives in the second half to put it away. Love had a decent game, but fumbled late to end any comeback chance.

W at Panthers, 33-30. Good game on the ground, as they ran for 162 yards (127 for Jones). Love also added 219 yards and two TDs. But the D allowed 312 yards and two TDs to Bryce Young. That was his highest yardage output by about 55 yards, and he didn't crack 200 yards in any game since week six. The two weeks following this game, Young threw for 112 and 94 yards and the offense was shut out. In fact, in the four games sandwiching this one, the Panthers only scored points 15 COMBINED.

W at Vikings, 33-10. Another big game for Love with 256 yards, three passing TDs and a rushing TD. 120 yards for Jones. The Vikings started Jaren Hall over Nick Mullens, and he went five of ten for 67 yards, an INT, and a lost fumble in one half. He was replaced by Mullens, who had a tolerable game (113 yards and a TD, though it took a muffed punt by the Packers to get that TD), but he didn't come in until it was 23-3.

W vs. Bears, 17-9. Another quick half, as there were only six drives in the first half. They were able to move the ball basically at will in this one, but had trouble converting points between a missed FG, poor execution to end the half (time expired well within FG range), a fumble, and a late clock-killing drive.

W at Cowboys, 48-32. The offense basically looked unstoppable. The D was solid enough early - though Dak seemed off when there was no real reason for it - before giving up a flurry of scoring when the game was basically out of reach.

Overall, my takeaway is that they can certainly be dangerous. The offense has some talent and Love has been playing well lately. That said, he played the 31st, 30th, 29th, 23rd, 21st, and 20th passing Ds (yards) during that run. Those were also the 29th, 27th, 24th, 23rd, 21st, and 18th in terms of passing TDs allowed.

They excelled at jumping on top of teams early and scoring in a flurry, but had a tendency to slow down later in games (some games bucked this trend, but looking at all of the games together). The defense appears to be vulnerable, though. They aren't very good against the run, but they didn't play any good running teams down the stretch (they bottled up Fields, but that has limited parallels to playing the Niners).

This is definitely a game where we can control the line of scrimmage and move the ball well on the ground, setting up the play action. They'll presumably try to do the same to us, so this game could hinge on the trenches. Got to get more from our run D than we did to close out the year, though I think the pieces are back in the lineup to allow us to do so. They're coming in hungry and confident, so we need to punch them in the face from the start. Absolutely cannot afford a slow start against this team.

[CrimsonCrew]

Yeah, we ought to come out fired up. This is clearly our year to get it done and we can't let anyone take it from us. Kyle as much as anyone should be fired up. He has had his chances and missed every one but we have never been in a better position. Last year I didn't really think we could beat the eagles but we should really not have a lot of trouble getting through these teams to the super bowl.

Eagles imploded like nothing I have ever seen. Losing both the OC and DC may have been critical.

Really reinforces what a good job Shanahan and Lynch have done weathering departures of two DCs and the equivalent of at least one OC. Also reinforces the value Shanahan brings as a HC who calls the plays.

[CrimsonCrew]

Greenlaw not practicing today, Logan Ryan out too. Ferrell out, obviously. Pretty much everybody else up and ready to go. Sure hoping Greenlaw is precautionary. We'll need him to be healthy and aggressive shooting gaps in that run game.

[CrimsonCrew]

Greenlaw not practicing today, Logan Ryan out too. Ferrell out, obviously. Pretty much everybody else up and ready to go. Sure hoping Greenlaw is precautionary. We'll need him to be healthy and aggressive shooting gaps in that run game.

Looks like Greenlaw practiced yesterday and is expected tomorrow, just maintenance and rehab day today. That's good news.

Seemingly a similar deal with Ryan.

[RIPskaterdude]

Greenlawn has been limited in practice for a few weeks now. Nothing to worry about for Sunday but something to keep an eye on if 49ers advance

[arich35]

Philly is about to go bye bye. Tampa just dominated them flat out. So that's now all 3 teams along with Dallas and the Rams that some of us said may pose the biggest threat to us. Honestly the only team I didn't want to see is the Rams. Philly has been on a downward spiral ever since losing to us and its only gotten worse. Dallas proved yet again yesterday that they cannot be trusted. But, enough of that. I will say that I am a little nervous playing Green Bay because we don't know them that well and they are peaking at the right time. I still expect Niners to take care of business as they are without a doubt the more talented team, but just the whole one and done thing. Someone at work mentioned to me today that maybe Green Bay isn't as great as they looked yesterday, maybe Dallas is just that much overrated. GB is certainly talented I will say.

Yeah, kind of surreal that the remaining opponents are Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Green Bay. Speaking for myself, the reason I was more concerned about Dallas is because Dallas is the only team - other than the Eagles, who have been in freefall for half the season - that can match our on-field talent. I was worried about the Rams because they are a division opponent who has been playing well and have a really balanced offense that includes a strong run game. I have some similar concerns about Detroit, but they are just so much worse on the road that it's hard to see them knocking the Niners off at Levi's.

Green Bay can't come close to matching our talent, but ultimately that doesn't decide games. We have to go out and prove it. They are a young, upstart team with nothing to lose. A bit like the Niners in 2011 or 2019. And like those teams, if we can't stop their run game, they can definitely beat us. Especially if it's a weather game.

Getting Armstead back should help a lot. One of the real benefits of the time off is that it hopefully gave Joseph-Day more time to settle into his role, and I think we could see him taking some snaps away from Kinlaw. He's a pretty solid run-stopper. And the return of Oren Burks was pretty under-the-radar, but I think it has a big impact on our run defense. That said, we'll be without Ferrell, who is good at setting the edge. That could hurt us in both facets of the game, as Young will get more run plays, and likely either be somewhat less effective at rushing the passer due to snap count, or may be rotated out in favor of Gregory or Beal.

I think this team is experienced enough to come out playing angry, and that's what we need to do. We have to set the tone, and not let them set it as they did with the Cowboys. I'm expecting a physical game, which will hopefully play to our strengths. I used to have concerns about Shanahan coming out of a bye, but he seems to have tightened that up. Over the past two years, we've won 3 of 4 games coming off rest (counting the season opener), and the one loss was the Lance slop game in Chicago to start last season.

Yeah, we ought to come out fired up. This is clearly our year to get it done and we can't let anyone take it from us. Kyle as much as anyone should be fired up. He has had his chances and missed every one but we have never been in a better position. Last year I didn't really think we could beat the eagles but we should really not have a lot of trouble getting through these teams to the super bowl.

Eagles imploded like nothing I have ever seen. Losing both the OC and DC may have been critical.



Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

I got a lot of **** on the NFL reddit from Eagles fans when I mentioned the Eagles were getting lucky and aren't that good after they won that Bills game.

[CrimsonCrew]

Both NFC East teams just shat the bed. Granted it's a small sample size, but the Cowboys become the first team ever to lose to a seven seed, and they did so in a blowout. And at least Green Bay has been putting together something of a streak with a QB on the rise.

I always felt Mayfield got a worse rap than he deserved in Cleveland, but he won't be mistaken for an elite QB any time soon. He made several throws in this game that could have easily gone the other way, and missed several chances for long TDs (granted I don't know that Purdy would even attempt those passes). He did hit a couple, too. It just seemed like no one on the Eagles wanted to be there. I've never seen such awful tackling and angles in a playoff game. Total embarrassment, and it's hard to see this team bouncing right back to where they were.

[CharityStripe34]

If we shyt the bed against Green Bay on Saturday, or even in the NFC title game against this field, then we never deserved it. Yeah, I get the "Any given Sunday" trope, but it would be incredibly bizarre if the 49ers came out looking like trash against GB.

[wco81]

Bucs WRs dropped several passes.

If he has time to set up, he can drill those passes and obviously Evans and Godwin are dangerous.

[CrimsonCrew]

Bucs WRs dropped several passes.

If he has time to set up, he can drill those passes and obviously Evans and Godwin are dangerous.

Yeah, Evans definitely dropped one or two that he usually catches that would have been huge plays. Those guys were getting open all day. Eagles' secondary looked like a JV team. Definitely have to make Mayfield uncomfortable in the pocket. Same goes for Love. Got to generate some pressure.

Good news is that - I've heard, haven't observed myself - Love doesn't typically bail out of the pocket to the left or right, but just kind of keeps dropping back. And obviously will throw off his back foot a lot. He's got the arm for it, but that's the sort of thing that can get a guy in trouble.

[thesack12]

Green Bay has fielded a pretty poor defense overall this season, but one specific area where they have especially struggled is passes to running backs. Which is an area that the 9ers should be able to exploit. Everbody knows that CMC is an elite receiver, but Juice could also make them pay by leaking out of the backfield.

[wco81]

Green Bay has fielded a pretty poor defense overall this season, but one specific area where they have especially struggled is passes to running backs. Which is an area that the 9ers should be able to exploit. Everbody knows that CMC is an elite receiver, but Juice could also make them pay by leaking out of the backfield.

Saw a graphic, they're 20th in the league in yards per pass attempt given up.

But NFL Live on ESPN was talking about how Purdy could get fooled by post snap coverage changes. So they showed the example of the int Purdy threw around the goal line against the Ravens where Hamilton their safety showed a cover 2 look and Kittle was running a corner pattern to that side but instead, Hamilton jumped to the middle to take away the post and get the int.

Well that was risky, because that corner pattern would have been open but I would think the post is easier to complete and an easier throw than a corner pattern over the trailing CB who was sitting in the short zone.

What they were implying was that the 49ers are heavily favored but Packers could make game-changing plays if they bait Purdy into making bad decisions.

Well duh, that's true of every QB. OTOH, they have clips to show Purdy turning it over recently and they have to talk about how the Packers could get one over on the 49ers.

[CrimsonCrew]

Green Bay has fielded a pretty poor defense overall this season, but one specific area where they have especially struggled is passes to running backs. Which is an area that the 9ers should be able to exploit. Everbody knows that CMC is an elite receiver, but Juice could also make them pay by leaking out of the backfield.

Saw a graphic, they're 20th in the league in yards per pass attempt given up.

But NFL Live on ESPN was talking about how Purdy could get fooled by post snap coverage changes. So they showed the example of the int Purdy threw around the goal line against the Ravens where Hamilton their safety showed a cover 2 look and Kittle was running a corner pattern to that side but instead, Hamilton jumped to the middle to take away the post and get the int.

Well that was risky, because that corner pattern would have been open but I would think the post is easier to complete and an easier throw than a corner pattern over the trailing CB who was sitting in the short zone.

What they were implying was that the 49ers are heavily favored but Packers could make game-changing plays if they bait Purdy into making bad decisions.

Well duh, that's true of every QB. OTOH, they have clips to show Purdy turning it over recently and they have to talk about how the Packers could get one over on the 49ers.

That INT to Hamilton was an odd play. I kind of wonder if Kittle ran the wrong route. If Kittle ran toward the end zone, he would have held Hamilton, who was looking his way. It would have been an east TD. Instead, he broke at about a 90 degree angle for the sideline. Hamilton wasn't threatened, to the outside, so he turned back inside.

I didn't see it as a disguise, per se, just that Purdy expected him to do something else. If everyone ran the right route, then it wasn't a very good play design.

[Jikkle]

Green Bay has fielded a pretty poor defense overall this season, but one specific area where they have especially struggled is passes to running backs. Which is an area that the 9ers should be able to exploit. Everbody knows that CMC is an elite receiver, but Juice could also make them pay by leaking out of the backfield.

Saw a graphic, they're 20th in the league in yards per pass attempt given up.

But NFL Live on ESPN was talking about how Purdy could get fooled by post snap coverage changes. So they showed the example of the int Purdy threw around the goal line against the Ravens where Hamilton their safety showed a cover 2 look and Kittle was running a corner pattern to that side but instead, Hamilton jumped to the middle to take away the post and get the int.

Well that was risky, because that corner pattern would have been open but I would think the post is easier to complete and an easier throw than a corner pattern over the trailing CB who was sitting in the short zone.

What they were implying was that the 49ers are heavily favored but Packers could make game-changing plays if they bait Purdy into making bad decisions.

Well duh, that's true of every QB. OTOH, they have clips to show Purdy turning it over recently and they have to talk about how the Packers could get one over on the 49ers.

It was weeks ago so I forgot where or what it was but somebody doing the film analysis said Purdy handles post-snap coverage changes just fine.

Even the smartest veteran QBs will get fooled and that's part of what the defense is doing is trying to fool the QB and playcaller. It was many years ago but I remember the Rex Ryan Jets beating the Patriots in the playoffs because Ryan completely changed what they did on defense and it completely fooled Brady.

The issue is those kinds of moves really only work for one game. The whole post-snap coverage change completely caught Dallas off guard but now it's on film and now the 9ers are aware of it and can be prepared for it.

[Jikkle]

It's also entirely possible that if the team wins a SB this year, Trent may retire.

Trent said today he fully intends playing for 2024.

Wants to break the record for Pro Bowl selections for Tackles.....I'm sure getting paid millions of dollars isn't a bad incentive either.

Still say the team needs to look at drafting a Tackle in the first round. Even if Trent plays a couple more seasons need to have a replacement ready and it's not like we couldn't use an RT now.

Honestly I'd still be fine if this team used most it's picks on offensive linemen. To me the offensive line is really the only aspect of this team that's preventing it from being virtually unbeatable.

[RIPskaterdude]

If we shyt the bed against Green Bay on Saturday, or even in the NFC title game against this field, then we never deserved it. Yeah, I get the "Any given Sunday" trope, but it would be incredibly bizarre if the 49ers came out looking like trash against GB.

There's no excuse, outside of terrible luck of injuries during the game, to lose to GB. While it would be disappointing to lose to DET (if they beat TB) in the NFC CG, I wouldn't be surprised. DET matches up well with SF on offense, especially their running backs.

[RIPskaterdude]

The bye week may have saved the season (if they win this week). Look at this list of injuries that are FP due to the week off

Read on Twitter

[Jikkle]

The bye week may have saved the season (if they win this week). Look at this list of injuries that are FP due to the week off

Read on Twitter

I said it when we got the bye that if we make the Super Bowl a big reason will be because of the bye.

The defense was starting to get banged up and was starting to look sluggish so getting guys on that side off their feet and a chance to heal up and rest can be what propels us the next two games.

Compared to the Packers who will have to go on the road again on a short week which will make it 4 out of their last 5 games on the road. They have a young roster which helps but that's still gotta take a toll on them.

[Jikkle]

[x]

Read on Twitter

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[CharityStripe34]

If we shyt the bed against Green Bay on Saturday, or even in the NFC title game against this field, then we never deserved it. Yeah, I get the "Any given Sunday" trope, but it would be incredibly bizarre if the 49ers came out looking like trash against GB.

There's no excuse, outside of terrible luck of injuries during the game, to lose to GB. While it would be disappointing to lose to DET (if they beat TB) in the NFC CG, I wouldn't be surprised. DET matches up well with SF on offense, especially their running backs.

I respect Detroit, but the 49ers are, IMO, comfortably the better team out of the two. Given the #1 seed, the bye week on top of resting key guys in Week 18 everything has lined up for the Niners to waltz into Vegas in three weeks.