Packers-49ers: It’s time to get down to business
Two in a row? The A.V. Club dares to dream
Jonathan Daniel
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Man, that felt good. Finally. Finally Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy won a game they absolutely had to have. Finally Dom Capers unlocked his chastity belt and clubbed Tony Romo upside the head with all those ballsy blitzes we’ve been hearing so much about. But most importantly, the Packers finally looked like they cared—enough to protect Lambeau Field, enough not to get pantsed on national TV again, and enough to save a season that was one loss from needing a scrub-brush and a jug of bowl cleaner.
Sure, there were scabs to pick: 12 more penalties, the stagnant first-half offense, McCarthy’s maddening refusal to run the ball late in the 4th quarter. It’s all noteworthy; you’ll just have to find someone else to bitch about it. The Packers beat up one of the top teams in the conference, and that matters. And with two very winnable upcoming games, it’s entirely possible the Pack could be sitting at 7-4 in a wide-open NFC wildcard race with a 10-day break before the Monday nighter against Baltimore. I’m not quite ready to proclaim this the bellwether that’ll slingshot us into the league’s upper echelon, but I do think the warm-fuzzies will stick for at least another week against the 49ers. Here’s why.
Rodgers to Alex Smith: Suck it (or something like that)
Somewhat forgotten in the wake of the two all-stat, no-win Rodgers vs. Favre games, and the recent maelstrom of ball-holding criticism, is draft day 2005 when Rodgers was left to rot for hours in the green room. While it wasn’t Alex Smith’s fault per se, he is the dude who set the dominoes in motion for Rodgers to fall to No. 24, while a guy from Utah got picked No. 1 by A-Rod’s favorite childhood team. Think the Niners might want that pick back? Rodgers has done little to suggest he’s the grudge-holding type. Still, I have to believe a head-to-head with this underwhelming hump will put a little extra fire in his jock. And for as much crap as Rodgers has taken this year—some of it absolutely deserved—he played the game of his short career against the Cowboys, even though it was ho-hum on the stat sheet. I’ll need more than one performance to call it a maturation, but it’s tough not to be encouraged.
Sometimes a loss is a win
Whether or not there’s a direct correlation, it at least appeared McCarthy’s coaching face-plants against Minnesota and Tampa spurred him into admitting his team’s deficiencies, and installing a game plan that played to its strengths. Out went the 25-yard passes that take forever to develop, in came pass rush-slowing slants, screens, and draws. Out went the anemic four-man rush, in came blitzes that brought everyone but the practice squad. Not only was it fun, but guess what? It worked! Over the past couple of weeks I’ve seriously doubted whether McCarthy is actually a sentient being, though he sure looked fired-up on Sunday. As little faith as I have in him at this point, for one game at least, he showed he’s capable of understanding what needs to be done. (Except for letting Mason Crosby continue to attempt 50-yarders. That can stop right now).
This ain’t no Steve Young and Jerry Rice
Besides the two Super Bowl trips and an overall air of awesomeness, the next best thing about the late-’90s was how the Pack owned the 49ers. The two current teams bear little resemblance to those juggernauts, though the Niners even less so than the Pack. With no winning seasons since 2002, San Fran’s rebuilding process has been as slow as the World Trade Center’s. They’re still dangerous and scrappy, but they have nothing approaching the Hall of Famer-laden, multi-weapon ordnance that strafed the NFL for years. These days it’s pretty much an above-average running game and physical defense, a great tight end, and a malcontent wide receiver whose posse consists of Deion Sanders and a bail bondsman. The Packers gameplan should be evident: Play the same safe, ball-control offense as a week ago, while making sure Smith is the guy who has to beat us. I like our chances against a quarterback with a career 65.7 rating and, uh, small hands.
Smashmouth backers
As much as Charles Woodson deserves a knighting for Sunday’s effort, we already knew he was The Man. But with each passing game, it’s becoming more apparent Clay Matthews’ playmaking abilities earn him the right to hang as many roman numerals on his name as he wants. As far as I know, Flozell Adams still hasn’t found his jock after the deke CM3 put on him in the 2nd quarter. Couple that with Nick Barnett regaining his sea-legs, A.J. Hawk’s solid play after his de facto benching against Lions, and Brad Jones’ first-start competence, and the Packers defensive underbelly no longer looks as doughy as it once did. The 49ers top two offensive threats are running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis. You do the math.
Prediction: I’m going to pretend I’m Memento’s Leonard Shelby and incapable of making new memories. First half of the season? What? Josh Freeman, who? I have this condition, you see. And wouldn’t you know it, that Cowboys game hasn’t quite faded to black yet. Tattoo it on your chest: Packers 31, 49ers 10.
Due to Thanksgiving and the Packers’ early game, there will be no 4th and 26 next week. Have a great holiday, everyone.
