The Green Bay Packers cruised to a 38-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Josh Jacobs scored three times and rushed for over 100 yards, Jordan Love threw a pair of red-zone touchdown passes and Jeff Hafley’s defense produced three huge takeaways in the second half.
The Packers led by at least two scores for the majority of the game and used a pair of late takeaways to create a 28-point final margin.
The Packers are now 8-3 and in a terrific position in the NFC playoff race.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:
What went right
— Josh Jacobs was a man on a mission. He rushed 26 times for 106 yards — hardly eye-popping numbers — but so much of it came as a result of his ability to power through tacklers. Per Next Gen Stats, Jacobs broke 15 tackle attempts. He also scored three 1-yard touchdowns.
— Speaking of short touchdowns, the Packers were a perfect 5-for-5 scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
— The Packers had more first downs (22 to 11), more third-down conversions (6 to 3), more plays (67 to 47), more total yards (325 to 241), more rushing yards (169 to 44), more red-zone trips (5 to 1) and more time of possession (36:43 to 23:17) and fewer penalties (5 to 9) and turnovers (0 to 3).
— The defense produced three takeaways — the sixth time the Packers have generated at least three in a game this season. Green Bay scored 21 points off turnovers. Xavier McKinney’s interception — his seventh of the season — was the turning point.
— The Packers limited Christian McCaffrey to only 31 rushing yards on 11 carries. Deebo Samuel had one touch for just 21 yards.
— Emanuel Wilson had a third-down conversion on the opening touchdown drive, plus a 19-yard run setting up another first-half score. He finished with 41 rushing yards.
— Tucker Kraft scored an 11-yard touchdown on a tight end screen and set up another score with a 15-yard catch to the 1-yard line. Dontayvion Wicks had an explosive play — a 25-yard catch in the second half.
— Linebacker Quay Walker played one of his best games. He produced two tackles for loss and had a near interception.
— Kicker Brandon McManus connected on the team’s first field goal attempt of 50 or more yards this season. He also hit all five extra points.
— Not only did Xavier McKinney have a huge interception, but he also had coverage on Christian McCaffrey on a fourth down incompletion one drive prior. Both drive-enders happened inside Packers’ territory with Green Bay protecting a 10-point lead.
What went wrong
— Christian Watson dropped what would have been a 49-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love at the end of the first half. The drop prevented what should have been a 24-7 lead.
— George Kittle caught all six of his targets for 82 yards, including a touchdown in the red zone and a 31-yarder. The Packers struggled to cover him in zone and man.
— Leonard Floyd had a pair of third-down sacks on Jordan Love.
— Romeo Doubs dropped one pass, and he exited in the third quarter after suffering a concussion.
What it means
The Packers did exactly what they needed to do against a short-handed team and strengthened their playoff position substantially in the process. Matt LaFleur’s team jumped out to an early lead, dominated the line of scrimmage and got the takeaways required to create a comfortable victory over a 49ers team missing their quarterback, left tackle and top edge rusher. The win improved the Packers to 8-3, which didn’t help in the NFC North race after the Lions and Vikings both won, but the victory has the Packers nearing lock status as a wildcard team. Green Bay has at least a two-win cushion over other teams in the hunt and a head-to-head tiebreaker over the 49ers, Rams and Cardinals. With six games to go, the Packers are still very much alive in the NFC North race and in great shape to be playing playoff football in January.
Highlights
What’s next
A holiday visit from the suddenly surging Miami Dolphins, who got four touchdown passes from Tua Tagovailoa during a 34-15 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Since starting 2-6, the Dolphins have won three straight to get to 5-6. Tagovailoa’s return from a head injury created the spark. A short week, however, creates challenges for both teams. The Packers and Dolphins will play the nightcap on Thanksgiving from Lambeau Field.
