Packers vs. 49ers: 5 San Francisco Players to Watch in Third Preseason Bout
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers host the Green Bay Packers for Week 3 of the preseason. Niner Noise takes a look at five players to watch for the red and gold in this NFL exhibition contest.
The San Francisco 49ers welcome the Green Bay Packers to Levi’s Stadium on Friday, August 26 for each teams’ third preseason game of the 2016 NFL schedule.
Frequently, Week 3 of the preseason is the closest to a regular-season game teams will get during this exhibition phase. And the Niners get to square off against one of the best.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who didn’t suit up for Green Bay’s 20-12 win over the Oakland Raiders last week, will probably be back in action to take on a surprisingly strong 49ers defense.
That San Francisco defense held both the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos to a combined 17 first-half points over the last two weeks. And the Niners’ six-sack performance against Broncos quarterbacks last Saturday is always a good sign.
But the 49ers still have more than a few questions to answer.
San Francisco hasn’t gotten much production out of its wide receiver corps. And the secondary, while promising, hasn’t faced the likes of anyone like Rodgers just yet.
Oh, and what about the Niners’ quarterbacking dilemma? Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played a snap this preseason. Since fellow QB Blaine Gabbert hasn’t exactly solidified himself as the No. 1 guy, can a strong effort from Kap reverse the signal-caller’s fortunes?
Let’s try to answer these questions, and more, in this preseason player breakdown.
Next: Linebacker Marcus Rush