The 5-2 Green Bay Packers are coming off a bad home loss to the lowly Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. The Packers will look to get back in the win column in Week 9 versus the San Francisco 49ers, who are 4-4 on the season and lost to the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 8.
Both the Packers and 49ers are dealing with injuries right now. The Niners will be without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle, while Green Bay is listing running back Aaron Jones and offensive tackle David Bakhtiari as questionable. Both teams are also dealing with COVID-19 issues.
The Packers and 49ers faced each other in last year's NFC Championship Game, with San Francisco coming out on top to advance to the Super Bowl. When this game was released on the 2020 schedule, fans were excited about the rematch.
However, this contest isn't that exciting anymore since the 49ers are a shell of themselves and playing without two of the team's best players in Kittle and Garoppolo.
Let's take a look at four bold predictions for the Thursday night contest from a Packers point of view.
1. Aaron Rodgers throws four touchdown passes
Even though the Packers lost in Week 8 to the Vikings, Aaron Rodgers still had a great game. He finished 27-of-41 for 291 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. Green Bay mostly lost to the Vikings because of the team's awful run defense.
Against the 49ers, we have Rodgers continuing his stellar play on the season by throwing four touchdown passes. In seven regular-season games versus the 49ers, Rodgers has thrown 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions while racking up 2,031 passing yards.
The 49ers are giving up 21.6 points per game this season, while Rodgers and the Packers are scoring 31.3 a contest. Look for ARod and Green Bay to have their way against San Francisco on Thursday Night Football and put up a ton of points.
2. Davante Adams catches two touchdown passes and eclipses 100 yards
One of the best wideouts in the NFL, Davante Adams has caught 43 balls this season for 502 yards and seven touchdowns. He's virtually unguardable one-on-one, and Rodgers and Adams have great chemistry on the field.
Since the 49ers' secondary got smoked by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in Week 8, look for Rodgers and Adams to do the same. Both stars likely watched a ton of film from the Seahawks-49ers game and paid attention to how Wilson and DK Metcalf were able to find the holes in the Niners' secondary.
We have Adams scoring two touchdowns against the 49ers on Thursday and eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the third time this season. The Pro Bowler is playing at an elite level right now.
3. Packers defense intercepts Nick Mullens two times
With Garoppolo out, the 49ers will start Nick Mullens at quarterback. The Packers' defense has to be licking its chops since Mullens has three interceptions on the season in four games.
Mullens has been a turnover machine whenever he plays. He has thrown 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his career. Look for the Packers to pick him off two times on Thursday Night Football and set up Rodgers and the offense with good field position.
Without Kittle in the lineup, Mullens doesn't have his safety net to throw to. Deebo Samuel is also out for the 49ers, so it could be a long night for Mullens and the Niners' offense against the Packers. The 25-year-old will likely try to force some throws into tight coverage, and that's how the Packers will come away with two interceptions.
4. Packers defeat 49ers to improve to 6-2
Green Bay has the better quarterback and offense in this game, so we have the Packers defeating the 49ers to improve to 6-2 on the season.
The odds are stacked against San Francisco to win this game. The team will likely have to get a huge performance from the ground game and hope that Rodgers struggles on offense. While we can see the 49ers running the ball well against the Packers since Green Bay's run defense isn't all that great, the odds of San Francisco's defense stopping Rodgers from moving the ball downfield are low since the former MVP is playing really well right now.
The Packers enter Week 9 in first place in the NFC North standings. They are ahead of the Chicago Bears, who are 5-3 and face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday (assuming the game doesn't get postponed after the Bears had a COVID-19 outbreak). Chicago is projected to lose to Tennessee, so the 49ers game is a perfect opportunity for the Packers to increase their lead in the NFC North.
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