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The Packers pulled out a much needed win against a rather formidable opponent in the Dallas Cowboys. An aggressive Packer defense logged five sacks on Tony Romo and the resurrection of the Packer offensive short game controlled the clock for a full 35:58.
Packers vs. Dallas Recap
Aaron Rodgers had another good showing this week. Though his stats weren’t amazing, they were good enough to win the game. Rodgers continued his outstanding accuracy completing 25 of his 36 passes for a 69% completion rating. While Rodgers only had 189 yards passing, he still logged a touchdown and had enough productivity to also log the all-important win.
The rest of the Packer offense had rather pedestrian statistics.
Ryan Grant rushed 19 times for 79 yards. Donald Driver had four receptions for 50 yards and Greg Jennings had four receptions for 45 yards. These seemingly sub-par stats for the Packers’ top two receivers might be due in part to the fact that Aaron Rodgers did a great job of spreading the ball around. Eight Packer players caught Aaron Rodgers passes in the game.
Defensively the team was outstanding. Dom Capers seemed to pull out all the stops and throw a variety of blitzes at Romo and the Cowboys offense. The confusion caused by the Packers blitz packages resulted in five Romo sacks.
The Packers defense continued to play well against the run as Dallas was only able to muster 61 yards of rushing offense in this game. That’s surprising in light of the fact that Marion Barber averaged 5.2 yards a carry. It makes you wonder if things would have been different had the Cowboys stuck to the run.
In the end, the Packers shined in the one statistic that really matters… the score.
Packers vs. 49ers Preview
The Packers now face the 4-5 San Francisco 49ers. The niners had difficulty with the Chicago Bears last week, but pulled out a win in spite of that.
Against the Bears, Alex Smith was consistent completing 16 of his 23 passes for a completion percentage of 70%. However, those 16 completions only accounted for 118 yards of offense.
Much of the rest of the 49ers’ offensive production came from the workhorse Frank Gore. Gore had 25 carries for 104 yards and a long of 25.
So, how does this 49ers team stack up against the GreenBay Packers?
The Packers offense ranks 8th in the NFL in total offense and has an edge on a 49ers defense that is mediocre, ranked #18 and giving up 336.0 yards of total offense to its opponents.
The Packers’ defense is 4th, only allowing 282.3 yards per game. The Packers should easily handle a 49ers offense that is #27 and only generates 277.9 yards per game in total offense.
Despite the fact that Frank Gore has been consistently producing for the 49ers, they rank only 22nd in rush offense, while the Packers have rarely had a 100 yard rusher in games this 2009 season but still rank 12th in the league.
A Packer defense that ranks 4th in the NFL in run defense should be able to manage Frank Gore and the 49ers.
When it comes down to it, San Francisco’s strengths are their offensive running game and their ability to stop the run on defense. If the Packers can stop Frank Gore and accumulate yardage with Ryan Grant and Ahman Green, they should walk away from this game with a win.
