Improved 49ers Secondary Will Test Rodgers and Co.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and the Green Bay Packers’ passing attack struck gold against the San Francisco defense in Week 3.
It wasn’t just Rodgers’ 261 passing yards, two touchdowns and two last-seconds completions that highlighted a 30-28 victory over the 49ers. He also threw three passes that drew pass-interference penalties worth an additional 81 yards. Three completions and three penalties added up to six plays of 24-plus yards.
“It definitely wasn’t good,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said this week. “We had a number of guys playing in that game who’ve been in and out throughout the year. And that’s kind of how the whole year’s gone for our whole group.”
When Packers coach Matt LaFleur talked about how the teams have changed over the past four months, San Francisco’s cornerback corps is a big part the evolution. In Week 3, Emmanuel Moseley played all 63 snaps, rookie Deommodore Lenoir played 45, past-his-prime veteran Josh Norman played 30, Dontae Johnson played 20 and standout slot defender K’Wuan Williams played only six before exiting with a calf injury.
Now, turn ahead to Sunday’s wild-card victory over the Dallas Cowboys. As the team’s top corner, Moseley played all 72 snaps. So did rookie Ambry Thomas. Healthy again, Williams played 62 snaps. And that’s basically it.
That trio is a big reason why San Francisco’s defense will enter Lambeau Field with a lot of confidence. Against the Cowboys, Amari Cooper caught 6-of-10 targets for 64 yards and one touchdown, but CeeDee Lamb caught just 1-of-5 for 10 yards and Cedric Wilson caught 5-of-10 for 62 yards. In the Week 18 upset of the Rams, Cooper Kupp caught 7-of-7 for 118 yards and one touchdown, but Van Jefferson caught 2-of-3 for 31 yards and Odell Beckham caught 2-of-5 for 18 yards. In the Week 16 loss at the Titans, A.J. Brown caught 11-of-16 for 145 yards and one touchdown, but Julio Jones was limited to one target for 7 yards and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught 2-of-3 for 38 yards.
Moseley and Thomas have been the big keys. Moseley returned to face the Rams after missing most of five games with an ankle injury. For the season, he allowed only a 57.5 percent catch rate and 72.1 passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus. Thomas, a third-round pick out of Michigan who was a COVID opt-out during his final collegiate season, has given up 8-of-16 for 111 yards the last four games.
Of course, a secondary’s best friend is a strong pass rush. The Niners, even without Nick Bosa for most of the game due to a concussion, ran roughshod over the Cowboys’ touted offensive line to the tune of five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. That came on the heels of five sacks and 13 quarterback hits against the Rams.
“They do a great job of complementing the back end with the pass rush,” LaFleur said. “I think first and foremost, you’ve got to be able to block these guys. They are extremely disruptive. I wouldn’t say they’re overly complicated, at least in early downs; in some of those known passing situations, they present a lot of different challenges, a lot of different looks. When you add that with the players that they have, from a talent perspective, it makes it a challenge to get the ball to some of your playmakers.”
With strong pass rush combining with improved coverage, San Francisco’s pass defense is vastly improved. While the Niners finished 25th in opponent passer rating (97.0), they’re seventh over their last three games (78.9).
“I think just everybody, not just individuals, but the whole, everyone who’s gone back there has gotten better each week,” Shanahan said. “We had some young guys play early. Now we are having some young guys play late. We’ve had some veterans play early, some different veterans play late. We’ve had guys come in for injuries, guys out and back in. So, it’s been a number of guys and, collectively, we’ve all gotten a lot better. And we’ve limited some of those penalties and done a better job of eliminating the big plays, too.”
No, the 49ers’ pass defense hasn’t been air-tight. Yes, based on the production of Kupp and Brown, there could be room to maneuver for Adams. But can the Packers produce enough of an all-around passing attack to advance to a third consecutive NFC Championship Game?
“I’m sure they’ll be ready for a lot of stuff that we’re doing, we’re trying to do, and it just comes down to execution in those moments,” Rodgers said. “I think there was some opportunities for those guys the other night, but it comes down to execution and the Cowboys didn’t execute, the Niners defense did, kept them out of the end zone for much of that game. Coming to Lambeau – on our field and our weather – we feel good about the product we put on the field and we’ve got to go out and execute one more time.”
