Packers vs. 49ers Preview: Prepare for a Matt LaFleur Masterclass

 

Can the Green Bay Packers do it again? Can they shock the entire nation by beating the San Francisco 49ers at home? It’s going to be a tall task and a lot of things are going to need to go their way. However, as we’ve seen this season, any team is beatable.

            The 49ers are an absolute wagon and as of recent history, they’ve dominated the Packers in the playoffs. However, we’re not here to dwell on the past, we’re here looking forward to the future as the Packers themselves have done this season. They battled back from a 3-6 record and are now one of the hottest teams in the NFL following their 4^th win in a row against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.

The Packers are 0-4 in their last four playoff games against the 49ers.
Aaron Jones: "It's not about the past. It's about the future and what we're about to do right now." pic.twitter.com/eoQfRXlx9g

— Adriana Torres (@TorresAdrianaTV) January 18, 2024

            I could say the Packers don’t have a shot and probably won’t win which is a pretty fair viewpoint considering how loaded the 49ers are. But I’m not. This is a completely different situation for the Packers playing the 49ers this time around. They’re the underdogs, they’ve bought in as a team, and they are very well-coached. Which brings me to the main point of this blog, Matt LaFleur.

            LaFleur is responsible for the development of the Packers this season, more so on offense. He saw something in Jordan Love after the Steelers game and never looked back from there. His scheme has been run to perfection as of late and the entire offense has looked better than ever. Against the 49ers last time around, LaFleur schemed A LOT of guys open for Aaron Rodgers to throw to that weren’t named Aaron Jones or Davante Adams. He never even gave those guys a chance. I’m not saying Rodgers is a cancer, but if you watched the games, you could clearly tell he wasn’t bought into what LaFleur was running.

Hers is the All22 of the final throw from Aaron Rodgers last night into double coverage to Adams. He has Allen Lazard coming wide open in the middle of the field. Bad decision from Rodgers and missed opportunity on 3rd down pic.twitter.com/yerTpeYyxb

— Ryan Sampson (@RyanMSampson) January 23, 2022

            That’s where I think this time around against the 49ers is different. Jordan Love and LaFleur trust each other, and we know the offense is going to get their points. Jordan Love has excelled this season, spreading the ball around even with Aaron Jones still in the offense. I mean they hung 48 on the Cowboys last week and Jayden Reed didn’t even catch a pass. The scheme is really good and LaFleur knows what he’s doing. I expect him to bring out all the stops in this game to try and get up early and own the time of possession. We may be in for a Matt LaFleur coaching masterclass.

            Against the 49ers though, offense isn’t just going to win you the game. Defensively, there are a lot of offensive weapons to cover. The list is almost never-ending. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk are all players capable of not just big plays but taking over games as well. The Packers are facing an injury that could be the difference against this group of studs. Jaire Alexander who did not participate in Thursday's practice is listed as questionable going into this game. Alexander caught an interception last weekend against Dallas and when guarding star receiver Ceedee Lamb he allowed zero catches. 

Final injury report of the week: pic.twitter.com/ZsuZNCniCg

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 18, 2024

            For the Packers’ defense, I would like to think two important things are being stressed to them going into this game. Pressure Brock Purdy all game long and contain the rushing attack. We saw Brock Purdy fold against the Baltimore Ravens when he got pressure all game long. Not saying by any means the Packers’ defense is similar to the Ravens’ defense, but we saw what frustration can do to a quarterback last week in Dak Prescott. The Packers brought pressure and that resulted in two interceptions that helped the Packers establish an early lead. 

            The defensive front has killed it as of late, with the big surprise of the season being year two player Devonte Wyatt who is playing amongst the top defensive tackles in the league. Alongside Wyatt, we know Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, and Preston Smith are going to bring the heat all game long. Also, be on the lookout for rookie Lukas Van Kness who shared his thoughts about Brock Purdy in a locker room interview this week.

Forgot to post these

End of the year DT chart (posting the others soon) pic.twitter.com/oJMR0Zc3ud

— AP 🌵𓅓🍎 (@Light_2610) January 12, 2024

Packers rookie OLB Lukas Van Ness and Iowa beat Brock Purdy, 27-17, in the 2021 season.

Purdy threw three INTs that day. Van Ness finished his answer on whether he thought Purdy would become what he has with this:

“He’s an Iowa State guy. You know how I feel about that.” pic.twitter.com/KGgPnOw8su

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 18, 2024

            Overall, the Packers can look at last week’s game against Dallas as somewhat of a blueprint going into this game. As they did last week, they need to take an early lead, bring tons of pressure, get a turnover, and own the time of possession. Time of possession and pressure are the two things I’m sure every Packers fan wants to see this weekend. The offense will get their points, but defensively, the Packers are facing their hardest challenge yet this season.

            Another situation of being the big-time underdog on the national stage, what more can you ask for? The Packers have proved a lot of people wrong this season, why can’t they do it again on Saturday night in San Francisco? Why not us?

            Real Packer Fans Know🧀