Injury-plagued 49ers no match for Packers in 34-17 rout

Sometimes an NFL team reaches a point where it simply has too many injuries to overcome.

Such was the case on Thursday night for the San Francisco 49ers, who looked overmatched in a 34-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. The outcome was a far cry from what happened in the last meeting between the two teams, which saw the 49ers cruise to a 37-20 win over the Packers in the 2019 NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers came into the game with injuries on offense to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle); running backs Raheem Mostert (ankle), Tevin Coleman (knee) and Jeff Wilson (ankle); wide receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring); and tight end George Kittle (foot), along with three COVID-related absences in wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Brandon Aiyuk and offensive tackle Trent Williams. Those absences, in addition to longer-term injuries on defense such as those to cornerback Richard Sherman (calf), defensive end Dee Ford (neck), and defensive end Nick Bosa (torn ACL) left the 49ers with a decimated roster that couldn't compete with the NFC North-leading Packers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the way for the Packers, firing four touchdown passes on 25-of-31 passing with 305 yards and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, quarterback Nick Mullens had a shaky outing for the 49ers in place of Garoppolo, throwing for 291 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on 22 of 35 passing.

As It Happened

The Packers fielded the opening kickoff and didn't wait long to get on the scoreboard, driving 75 yards in six plays (3:18) to take a 7-0 lead on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Davante Adams. The drive featured four touches for running back Aaron Jones, who had been sidelined the previous two games with a calf injury.

After a failed possession from each team, the 49ers got their first points of the night late in the first quarter with a 22-yard field goal from Robbie Gould. Sparked by a 43-yard completion from Mullens to Richie James on the drive's second play, the 49ers moved 76 yards in 11 plays but fell just short of a touchdown when a catch in the end zone by wide receiver River Cracraft was overturned via replay.

The Packers went three-and-out on the next possession but got the ball back at the 49ers' 38-yard line when Mullens lofted an interception to safety Raven Greene after being pressured by linebacker Preston Smith. Nine plays later, the Packers found themselves with a first-and-goal at the two-yard line after a questionable third-down pass interference call on 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett in the end zone and were able to take a 14-3 lead when Rodgers found tight end Marcedes Lewis for a two-yard score.

Following a three-and-out from the 49ers, the Packers took a 21-3 lead when Rodgers found a wide-open Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 52-yard touchdown strike. The play capped an eight-play, 87-yard drive, which took just over three minutes off the clock and put Rodgers at 13 of 18 for 149 yards and three touchdowns with 1:47 remaining in the half.

The 49ers went three-and-out on their next possession but were able to keep the Packers from doing further damage before halftime after Rodgers was sacked by defensive end Jordan Willis with 31 seconds on the clock. The 49ers began the second half with possession but punted the ball after four plays, which led to an 80-yard scoring drive from the Packers and the fourth touchdown pass of the evening for Rodgers, who this time found Valdes-Scantling from one yard out for a 28-3 lead.

The onslaught continued on the next possession, which ended after four plays when Mullens was strip-sacked by linebacker Za'Darius Smith. Smith recovered his own forced fumble at the 49ers' 47-yard line, and from there the Packers put together a seven-play drive and took a 31-3 lead on a 19-yard field goal from Mason Crosby. The sack was the third of the evening given up by Justin Skule, who drew the start at left tackle with Trent Williams on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The 49ers finally created a spark on their next drive when Mullens connected with James on a 47-yard pass that set them up at the Packers' 14-yard line. The catch put James over 100 yards for the evening, but the 49ers couldn't cash in and wound up turning the ball over on downs at the five-yard line.

The Packers went on to add a 53-yard field goal from Crosby to take a 34-3 lead, then the 49ers found the end zone for the first time when Mullens connected with James for a 41-yard score. The touchdown increased a career-best output for James, who went on to finish the game with nine catches for 184 yards and one touchdown.

The Packers went three-and-out on the next possession, giving the 49ers one final chance to put some points on the board. Mullens drove the 49ers inside the Packers' 10-yard line with 15 seconds to play, then running back Jerick McKinnon capped the game with a touchdown run from one yard out.

The Packers outgained the 49ers 405-337 on the evening while holding a time of possession edge of 36:30 to 23:30. Adams led Packers receivers with 10 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown, while Jones ran for 58 yards on 15 carries. McKinnon had 52 yards on 12 carries for the 49ers, who rushed for 55 total yards as a team.

Notes

The 49ers added two more injuries to their already-long list Thursday when safety Jaquiski Tartt left the game with a foot injury and cornerback K'Waun Williams was declared questionable to return with an ankle injury. The Packers lost four players in the game due to injury: cornerback Jaire Alexander (concussion), linebacker Krys Barnes (calf), offensive tackle Rick Wagner (knee), and running back Dexter Williams (knee)... Adams' output made him just the second player in NFL history to have three games of at least 10 catches, 150 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in a single season, according to Elias Sports. The first player to accomplish the feat was Calvin Johnson in 2012...

After dropping what could have been a touchdown pass in the first quarter, Cracraft caught his second NFL pass on a five-yard completion from Mullens in the second quarter. The catch was Cracraft's first since making a 44-yard reception with the Denver Broncos in 2018... Rodgers' first touchdown pass to Valdes-Scantling traveled 60.3 yards in the air, which is the fifth-longest of the NFL season and the longest pass for Rodgers since 2018, according to NFL Next Gen Stats... The first touchdown of the game extended a streak of eight consecutive games with a score on the opening possession for the Packers... The sack from Willis before halftime was his first as a 49er. Willis was acquired along with a 2021 seventh-round pick from the New York Jets in October in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick... The 184-yard outing for Richie James was a higher output than either of his first two NFL seasons. James, who joined the 49ers as a seventh-round draft pick out of Middle Tennessee in 2018, caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown as a rookie and six passes for 165 yards as a touchdown in 2019.

Up Next

The 49ers (4-5) will be back in action on Sunday, November 15 when they face a challenging road contest against the New Orleans Saints (4:25 p.m. ET/1:25 p.m. PT, FOX). The Saints head into the weekend at 5-2 and face a pivotal NFC South matchup Sunday night against the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers (6-2) return home to Lambeau Field next Sunday to face the 1-6 Jacksonville Jaguars.

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