The San Francisco 49ers have one of their toughest challenges of the season in Week 12, hosting the 8-2 Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in a bout which could ultimately determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
That's the top thing on the line for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co., of course. But there are also a number of other achievements the Niners can reach during tonight's prime-time bout.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel managed back-to-back 100-yard games against the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals over the last two weeks. The 49ers' Round 2 NFL Draft pick from this year has emerged as a quality target for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. And despite Samuel being listed as questionable for the game with a shoulder injury, the signs are pointing to him starting.
And if Samuel ends up reaching 100 receiving yards against Green Bay, he would be the third 49ers wide receiver to accomplish this feat in three straight games.
The other two? Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark.
Additionally, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne needs one touchdown to match what former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis did back in 2013 -- record at least one touchdown in four consecutive games.
San Francisco's offensive output needs to be on point against the Packers, of course, especially considering Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having yet another Pro Bowl-caliber season. But the Niners defense also has a chance to reach some accolades Sunday night. If the 49ers sack Rodgers at least three times, the team would then have recorded three-plus sacks in eight straight games for the first time since sacks were made an official statistic back in 1982.
The Niners sacked Rodgers three times the last time these two teams played back on Monday Night Football in October of last year. Rodgers has been sacked 22 times on the season, which is tied for 16th most.
The 49ers and Packers kick off on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
Statistics courtesy of the 49ers PR Department.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
