3 stats 49ers must improve upon in Week 3 vs. Packers

If the 49ers want to improve to 3-0 on the season, they’ll need to upend the Packers during prime time. Improving these three stats would surely help.

It’s understandable why some critics view the 2021 San Francisco 49ers, currently sitting at 2-0 after a two-game road trip, as pretenders in the quest for a playoff berth this season.

The Niners’ two opponents, the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, aren’t considered top opposition, yet both engineered some scares in their respective losses to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad.

Now, with an NFC Championship top contender in the Green Bay Packers coming into town for a prime-time Sunday Night Football bout, San Francisco will have a 2019-like opportunity to show the rest of the league its undefeated start to the regular season isn’t a fluke.

One could make the argument the 49ers haven’t come close to playing their best football yet. In Week 1 against the Lions, the defense was permeable, both against the run and in the fourth quarter. Last week at Philadelphia, the Niners’ own run game struggled, and the offense was sorely lacking for the better part of three quarters, yet the defense remained stout.

Getting some consistency on both sides of the ball would help go a long way towards pulling off the win in Week 3, and there are some statistical categories where Shanahan and Co. can look to improve.

Particularly knowing they’ll be facing off against a future Hall of Famer in Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

To beat him and Green Bay, look for San Francisco to show some improvement in these three key areas during Week 3’s game.