So, does Green Bay’s “revenge” win over San Francisco on Sunday at Lambeau Field really count as revenge from all those recent playoff losses, if the Niners didn’t have quarterback Brock Purdy, left tackle Trent Williams, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive end Nick Bosa, and corner Charvarius Ward, plus a host of depth players?
In the minds of Green Bay players, it did.
“It’s the NFL,” Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love said. “They’ve got other good players. We’ve had injuries. Guys are banged up. You’ve got to go find a way to win, no matter who’s out there. It’s tough for them, but we’ll take the win.”
Love went 13-of-23 for 163 yards and two scores in the Packers’ 38-10 win, a victory over unheralded quarterback Brandon Allen, starting in Purdy’s place. Purdy sat out due to an injury to his throwing shoulder. Bosa has an oblique injury; Greenlaw hasn’t returned since tearing knee ligaments in the Super Bowl against Kansas City; and Williams, banged up, was also a scratch.
Ward missed his third straight game following the death of his one-year-old daughter.
The 49ers’ points came on a 3-yard pass from Allen to also-banged-up tight end George Kittle, with a minute left in the second quarter, and on a 48-yard field goal by recently-returned-from injury kicker Jake Moody.
Penalties and mistakes hurt the 49ers – a holding penalty on Eric Saubert negated an 87-yard kick return by Deebo Samuel to begin the third quarter, and Xavier McKinney intercepted Allen and returned it 48 yards to set up another score. Allen finished 17-of-29 for 199 yards, the TD pass to Kittle, the pick and a fumble lost.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs ran for 106 yards and three 1-yard touchdowns, and the Packers defense held 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey – who has missed most of the season due to injuries – to just 31 yards on 11 carries.
The loss drops the Niners to 5-6 overall, and in the NFC West cellar, somewhere they haven’t been in a while. And it may get worse: San Francisco is scheduled for a trip to Buffalo this coming Sunday, a 7:20 p.m. Central-time kickoff on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
Green Bay (8-3) plays Thanksgiving night, a quick turn-around, when they’ll host Tua Tagovailoa and the heating up Miami Dolphins, also a 7:20 p.m. kick on NBC.
