49ers vs. Packers: Niners face injured Rodgers on Monday Night Football
By Chris Wilson
The San Francisco 49ers travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers under the lights on Monday night. Niner Noise previews the 49ers’ Week 6 matchup, including key stats, players to watch, X-factors, injury news and how to watch the game live.
After a crushing loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium, the 1-4 San Francisco 49ers head to iconic Lambeau Field for an NFC showdown with the Green Bay Packers — led by a banged up Aaron Rodgers — in Week 6 to the 2018 NFL regular season.
Check out Niner Noise’s game recap and post-game grades and analysis for a breakdown of the 49ers’ Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, including a summary of the game and full position grades.
In the lead-up to Week 6, the big story in Green Bay centered around which type of knee brace the Packers’ future Hall-of-Fame quarterback will be forced to wear against San Francisco, after Rodgers experienced a “setback” in his knee rehabilitation during last Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
The second pressing question of the week focused on which Green Bay wide receivers Rodgers will throw to on Monday night. Will the 49ers’ secondary face dangerous wideouts Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison, or rookie wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, and J’Mon Moore? While Adams was the only starter of the group who was able to fight through injury and suit up against Detroit, an extra week of rest makes it more likely the Packers’ starting trio will be reunited in Week 6.
However, Green Bay has little room for complaint, as injuries have decimated the 49ers in 2018. After losing starting running back Jerick McKinnon to a knee injury before the season began, San Francisco also lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the rest of 2018 after he tore his ACL in Week 3.
49ers backup running back Matt Breida was also knocked out of action with a mid-ankle sprain in Week 5, and San Francisco’s top wideout Marquise Goodwin has been sidelined for much of the season.
With nearly all of their starting offensive linemen working through injuries, and backup quarterback C.J. Beathard under center, the return of their top playmakers would be a welcome boost for San Francisco’s offense. But even at relative full strength, Monday’s matchup will be a challenge for the one-win 49ers.
After opening as 7.5-point favorites, the Packers’ line quickly jumped to 9.5 points, where it has hovered for the majority of the week, per OddsShark.
Let’s break down some important statistics for the San Francisco 49ers’ sixth game of the 2018 NFL regular season: