A victory against the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Sunday would bolster the Green Bay Packers’ playoff chances, send a conference rival below .500 and avenge a bitter playoff defeat.
Those seemingly rank in no particular order for the Packers (8-3), although they don’t shy from living at least partially in the past ahead of a Week 12 showdown.
Host San Francisco eliminated Green Bay 24-21 in the NFC divisional playoffs last season, scoring 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
“That’s what you’ve got to sit with all offseason, is going back, watching the game, trying to see what you could have done better,” Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. “What you could have done differently in that game. … Just knowing that’s the team that knocked us out, we’re definitely hungry for this game.”
Ditto for San Francisco. The 49ers fell to 5-5 after last week’s 20-17 home loss to Seattle, done in by Geno Smith’s 13-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds to play.
Still only a game behind NFC West-leading Arizona, the reigning conference champion 49ers are just 1-3 in division play and can ill afford to lose more ground.
A visit to AFC East leader Buffalo awaits after the trip to Green Bay.
The good news: the 49ers anticipate the return of some key contributors. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, who missed the past two games following the death of his 1-year-old daughter, practiced Wednesday. Tight end George Kittle also is eager to play after a nagging hamstring injury sidelined him against the Seahawks.
“Very excited,” he said. “Can’t pass up playing the Packers, so no, I will be out there for sure.”
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is day-to-day with right shoulder soreness, but coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy is on track to play.
Shanahan and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur have been fierce competitors since twice working together, first as low-level assistants with the Texans in 2008, then on the so-called “dream team” staff in Washington that included Sean McVay and two seasons with the Falcons (2015, 2016) where LaFleur was quarterbacks coach and Shanahan called the plays.
Shanahan scored the most recent win over LaFleur in January. Green Bay has won seven of the past eight regular-season meetings between the franchises.
But the familiarity and shared-brain approach to offense that has the coaches completed each other’s play calls has led to some tight games. The past three at Lambeau Field were all decided by three points.
Green Bay, which hosts a home game on Thanksgiving next Thursday, is starting a run of three games in 12 days. They’ll play back-to-back Thursday games. Their Week 14 game is at Detroit.
That might make it good news for LaFleur that surprising contributors have emerged of late.
Packers wideout Christian Watson had a career-best 150 receiving yards on only four catches during last week’s 20-19 road win against the Chicago Bears. His diving 60-yard reception in the fourth quarter put the Packers in position for Love’s go-ahead, 1-yard scoring run with 2:59 to play.
Watson entered the game with eight catches for 83 yards over his previous three contests, but LaFleur assured Watson remains a “big part” of the attack.
“He’s a guy who’s got every measurable known to man in terms of the size, the speed, and it’s not like those were easy plays he was making,” LaFleur said. “He was making tough, contested catches.”
San Francisco will aim to generate more pressure against Love than the Bears, who sacked him just once. The 49ers collected four sacks against the Seahawks, with Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd contributing 1.5 apiece.
Bosa (hip/oblique) didn’t practice Wednesday but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said this week “there’s just as good of a chance for him to not play as play.”
Recent regular-season history between the Packers and 49ers at Lambeau Field has favored Green Bay.
The Packers have won seven of their past eight home games against the 49ers and are 22-11 versus San Francisco at home all-time. Green Bay leads the series 34-28-1.
