SF 49ers: 3 reasons why Niners pull off Week 9 win vs. Packers
By Peter Panacy
The SF 49ers are in horrible shape to host the Packers on Thursday night, yet these five reasons could give the Niners a Week 9 win.
The SF 49ers likely losing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle to season-ending injuries was only the start of what’s turning into a painfully short week ahead of the team’s Week 9 home bout on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.
If that wasn’t bad enough, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, offensive tackle Trent Williams and fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
For now, the Niners’ starting offensive lineup is likely to look like this:
- QB Nick Mullens
- RB Jerick McKinnon
- FB Kyle Juszczyk
- LT Justin Skule
- LG Laken Tomlinson
- C Hroniss Grasu
- RG Daniel Brunskill
- RT Mike McGlinchey
- TE Ross Dwelley
- WR Richie James
- WR Trent Taylor
Juszczyk, Tomlinson, Brunskill and McGlinchey are the only players from that group pegged as starters back in Week 1.
So, how does it figure the banged-up and shorthanded SF 49ers somehow pull off a win over the 5-2 Packers, who are going to be furiously upset after their NFC North division loss against the Minnesota Vikings last week? Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Co. are favored by 7.5 points, according to the Action Network.
True, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad dominated the Packers last year, both during the regular season and in the NFC Championship game. But that was with a relatively healthy roster. That won’t be anything close to the case in Week 9.
But if there are reasons why San Francisco pulls off the upset, it’ll likely fall into one of these three X-factors going the SF 49ers way.