The San Francisco 49ers won't have much time to digest their 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, due to the fact the Green Bay Packers will be coming to town this week for a Thursday night game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara (8:20 p.m. ET/5:20 p.m. PT, FOX/NFL Network).
But given the nature of their loss to the Seahawks, a short week may be exactly what the 49ers need.
Having more time to rest and recover from their loss to the Seahawks may seem like an ideal situation for the 49ers, who must follow a tough matchup with the NFC West-leading Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson by facing another first-place team in the Packers (5-2) and another MVP candidate in quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But after a loss filled with frustrating miscues and missed opportunities, there's a desire on the 49ers' end to get back on the field as soon as they possibly can.
"I'm so happy that we are playing on a Thursday because after a loss like this, you just want to get the taste out of your mouth," fullback Kyle Juszczyk said following the loss to the Seahawks. "You want to go play football again. I'm so happy we can turn around and get back on the field in just a few days."
With just four days between their loss to the Seahawks and their primetime matchup with the Packers, the focus shifted very quickly for the 49ers immediately following their latest game. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made the importance of that shift clear to his team after the loss to Seattle, telling his players they need to forget about what happened Sunday and shift their attention to their next opponent.
"His big thing was starting now, everything we do has to be to get our bodies ready for Thursday," Juszczyk said. "We don't have that time to dwell on this one. We probably won't even watch it as a team. Everyone will watch the game individually. But starting right now, it's time for Green Bay."
The Packers come into Thursday's game in a similar situation as the 49ers after falling in a 28-22 upset loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. They'll be looking for redemption this week after lopsided losses to the 49ers in Levi's Stadium during the 2019 regular season and postseason, but they'll also have to move quickly past a loss on Sunday that left them with more questions than answers.
"We've obviously had a couple rough ones there last season," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after his team's loss to the Vikings, which took place before the Seahawks and 49ers kicked off Sunday. "They've had an up-and-down year. They've been playing better of late... It's a short week for both teams. It's a short week for both teams. It helps for them a little bit to be at home. I don't believe there will be little if any fans there, so we're going to have to handle the environment well. It's a really good football team, obviously coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and they seem like they've been rolling a little better the last couple of weeks, so we've got to exorcise some of those negative feelings."
Thursday's game is important for the playoff aspirations of both teams, but the 49ers in particular will be heading into a must-win situation. Now at 4-4 on the season, the 49ers don't have much room for error if they want to return to the postseason.
"I think we all just need to take a step forward, just go back to work, focus on the details, execute, and make plays," 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens said. "That's really all it comes down to. The only way that you play your best on Sunday is to just go and work through the week. Obviously it's a short week this week, but the work doesn't change."
