Z's BACK!@zadariussmith gets to the QB! 😤 #SFvsGB | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/v0GqWhMxM5
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 23, 2022
Welcome back, Za’Darius Smith.
On his first snap back after missing 16 games with a back injury, Smith beat a block and sacked Jimmy Garoppolo on third down to force a punt on the San Francisco 49ers’ first drive of the NFC divisional round at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.
Smith, who suffered through the injury throughout training camp, played only 18 snaps in Week 1 before getting shut down for back surgery. He was activated off injured reserve on Friday, clearing his path to return for the start of the Packers’ playoff run.
He made his presence immediately known.
Smith bowled over the left guard and wrapped up Garoppolo by the ankles to end the 49ers’ drive on 3rd-and-12.
During his first two seasons with the Packers, Smith produced 26.0 sacks and 60 quarterback hits. It didn’t take long for him to get back to disrupting the quarterback.
