Niner Noise
FanSided

5 Packers weaknesses 49ers can attack in NFC Championship game

By Chris Wilson

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Jamaal Williams #30 of the Green Bay Packers is tackled by Jimmie Ward #20 and D.J. Jones #93 of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Jamaal Williams #30 of the Green Bay Packers is tackled by Jimmie Ward #20 and D.J. Jones #93 of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Packers, 49ers
Jamaal Williams #30 of the Green Bay Packers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Force the Packers to Play from Behind

It’s pretty cliche, but the San Francisco 49ers should look to get out to a comfortable lead as soon as possible in the NFC Championship game. There’s a good reason as to why.

With their 13-3 record, one wouldn’t think the Packers have played from behind a lot this season. But that’s actually not quite the case. In total, Green Bay has seen 416 regular-season snaps when trailing in 2019.

And the number splits are quite provocative:

Packers 2019 Splits by Score Differential Table
Rush Rush Rush Rush Rush Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass
Score Differential #Pl Att Yds Y/A TD 1D Cmp Att Cmp% Yds Y/A Sk 1D Rate
Leading 535 251 959 3.8 13 55 161 264 61 1942 7.4 20 85 93.7
Tied 128 49 246 5.0 4 11 51 75 68 726 9.7 4 29 127.6
Trailing 416 141 699 5.0 3 31 160 261 61.3 1592 6.1 14 88 89.4

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/14/2020.

Aaron Rodgers’ completion percentage remains roughly the same, but his 89.4 passer rating when trailing takes a much bigger hit. So does the average yards per attempt.

While Rodgers is always a threat, Matt LaFleur’s offense has centered much more around running back Aaron Jones on the ground. A quick lead would help negate Jones’ unoact to a good extent, and the numbers this season suggest the Packers aren’t quite as good playing the catch-up game.

With San Francisco’s strength on defense, as well as its proven run game, it’s fair to believe the 49ers could hold on to a lead, no matter how early it’s established.