One of the marquee matchups in Week 12 is on Sunday Night Football between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers come into this game with only one loss, while the Packers have two, and this game could go a long way in determining who has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
This should be a great battle between two great teams. However, the 49ers have some advantages that will help them win this game. Let's breakdown four reasons why San Francisco will move to 10-1 on Sunday night.
4. Kyle Shanahan
Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive minds in football and he is proving why that's the case again this year. With Jimmy Garoppolo under center, Shanahan has found a way to move the ball against strong defensive units.
Against a bad Packers defense, Shanahan should have no issue making a game-plan to exploit their weaknesses through the air and on the ground. If Green Bay finds a way to neutral a component of San Francisco's offense, Shanahan is great at making adjustments on the fly.
3. Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa doesn't have a sack in his last three games, but he is still causing all kinds of issues for offensive lines. Even against a Packers offensive line that has been effective this season, he is going to pose some issues.
So far this season, Bosa has racked up 32 tackles, seven sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception. He is going to need to be double-teamed all game long if the Packers want to keep him away from Rodgers. With the double-teams, it's going to open up the rest of the defensive line to put pressure on the quarterback.
2. 49ers' Pass Coverage
Rodgers is going to present a challenge to the 49ers' defense but they should be up to the challenge. On the season, the 49ers are giving up only 142.5 yards per game (1st) and 15.5 points per game (2nd). Regardless of the opponent, it's not easy to attack San Francisco's defense.
Even if the 49ers' pass defense isn't as impactful as they have been throughout the season, they just need to at least slow Rodgers down. He is the only real advantage the Packers have in this matchup, but it's not going to be enough in this game.
1. 49ers' Running Game
Remember when Aaron Rodgers said after week one that he was excited the Packers had a defense again? He might have been a little premature with that prediction because coming into Week 12, they are giving up 384.7 total yards per game (28th)
Green Bay will struggle particularly at stopping the 49ers' rushing attack. For reference, the Packers are giving up 126.9 yards per game (25th) and against a run-first team led by Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, that will be an issue. All three of those backs have played well this season and have combined for 1,299 yards rushing and 1,652 total yards.
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