Week 9 - Meeting for the first time since a blowout victory in the NFC Championship that punched a ticket to the Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers (4-4), the Green Bay Packers (5-2) would stroll into the Bay Area seeking revenge after being embarrassed not once, but twice a season ago. But any hopes of a slugfest would be shutdown rather quickly for one team. Having been ravaged by injuries all season long, a new enemy would emerge and make its presence felt on the 49ers roster, or at least the threat of it. Entering Thursday night's game with 13 players on Injured Reserve -- tied for the most in the NFL, the Niners would be dealt yet another blow after receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for COVID-19. With teammates Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams all considered, "high-risk close contacts," all four players would be ruled out of Thursday's game on Wednesday. But after a pair of subsequent negative Covid tests submitted by Bourne, including one several hours before kickoff, the initial positive test would be deemed a false positive. Unfortunately for the home team, the damage was already done as those players would still be placed on the NFL's Reserve/COVID-19 list and ruled out by the league, leaving 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan with even less to work with against one of the top teams in the NFC. To say the 49ers would be undermanned in their Thursday night affair would be an understatement. But as the saying goes: the show must go on.
In what would be the 70th match-up all-time between the two historic franchises, backup QB Nick Mullens would make his third start of the season in place of the ailing Jimmy Garoppolo who re-injured his high-ankle sprain in last week's loss to Seattle. Even with the countless holes on offense, the 49ers would still have a sliver of hope before kickoff as Mullens' only other start on Thursday Night Football came during Week 9 of the 2018 season when he made his NFL debut and threw a career-high three touchdown passes in a blowout win against the Raiders. The main difference in this one, however, would be a guy named Aaron Rodgers. After being stymied and constantly pressured by the 49er defense in both games last season, the ghostly defense of San Francisco's past would like nothing like the team Rodgers faced on Thursday and he admitted it in his postgame interview. But that wouldn't stop him from turning up the heat and taking advantage of the situation. While the game would remain competitive until the final minutes of the second quarter, Green Bay took an early 7-0 lead after their first possession and never looked back.
Needing only six plays to march 75-yards, Rodgers struck first by connecting with his Pro-Bowl receiver Davante Adams for a 36-yard touchdown. It would be the start of a big night from both players as they each registered impressive numbers in the box score. Biting into Green Bay's lead with a Robbie Gould field goal on San Francisco's second possession to make it a 7-3 ballgame, it would be the closest the Niners would get after kickoff. San Francisco nearly tied the game on a touchdown reception by the recently promoted River Cracraft who came down with a catch in the end zone from 4-yards out that was initially ruled a touchdown, but was eventually overturned after review showed he failed to maintain complete control of the ball when falling to the ground, forcing Shanahan to settle for a field goal. The absence of Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams would be felt virtually all night long on the 49ers offensive-line as Justin Skule had a tough time trying to fill in for the sidelined Williams, but especially on a pair of plays that resulted in a Nick Mullens interception in the second quarter and on a sack-fumble in the third, both of which leading to scoring drives for the Packers. By halftime, Rodgers had tossed a trio of touchdown passes as Green Bay took a 21-3 lead into the locker room.
With the Green Bay lead increasing to 34-3 at one point, the 49ers were able to fend off a complete massacre on the scoreboard as they pieced together a pair of touchdown scoring drives in the fourth quarter to make it a 34-17 final score. The first of which would come on a 41-yard touchdown pass to receiver Richie James Jr. who served as one of the lone bright spots on what was a dismal night for San Francisco after hauling in career-highs with nine receptions for 184-yards and a touchdown. Running back Jerick McKinnon would supply the only other score as he struck pay dirt from a yard out in the game's final seconds. Both Rodgers and Adams would tally impressive numbers for Green Bay's offense as the Packers QB threw for 305 yards, four touchdowns and no picks, one of those touchdowns and 173 yards going to Adams who hauled in a game-high 10 receptions. In comparison, Nick Mullens threw for 291 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Turning back the clock, the 34-points scored by the Packers were the most they put up on the road against San Francisco since December 13, 1959.
Week 10 Preview - The 49ers' schedule will not get any easier in Week 10 when they make a trip to the Big Easy to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints (6-2) who are coming off an impressive blowout win against Tom Brady and the Bucs, 38-3. Following one of the best regular season games of the year a season ago when the 49ers left the bayou with a thrilling 48-46 victory that went back and forth in Week 14, it's unlikely we'll see anything remotely close to that shootout with all of San Francisco's missing pieces. With 13 players on IR, 45 different starters and 71 players used -- all the most in the NFL this year, coach Shanahan will do his best to try and piece together a team that can hopefully compete much better than they did against Green Bay. The Niners might also see the recently traded Kwon Alexander on opposite ends next week as he recovers from a high ankle sprain that has caused him to miss an extensive period of time. Another familiar face on opposite ends and one that helped play a key role in San Francisco's wild win against the Saints last season, is receiver Emmanuel Sanders who missed the last two weeks after being placed on the NFL's Reserve/Covid list. Two players the Niners are hopeful of getting back to assist their offense and their chances of pulling off the upset against the Saints are running back Raheem Mostert and receiver Deebo Samuel as the two have been dealing with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively.
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