San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers: Nightmare for the 49ers

As the title said - true nightmare

San Francisco 49ers through that they manage to shake off the injury bug and finally get healthier, but that didn't last long. Right now, they are in awful shape. Garoppolo re-injured his ankle. Tevin Coleman injured his knee in his first game back after ankle injury. George Kittle will be out for several weeks. And on top of that, they have a Covid-19 outbreak in the organization.

Few notable names got placed on covid/reserve list because of it. Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne and Deebo Samuel are all out for tonight's game. Those are four very important players on offense and it seems like the 49ers will have to play with many backups on that side of the ball. With Nick Mullens in there with a bunch of backup receivers and no starting blind-side protector, I expect 49ers to go run-heavy in this game. Even heavier than usual. Offense will need a big contribution from the defense, to keep them in this game, because if Rodgers gets an early lead, Niners simply don't have the firepower to trade touchdown for touchdown with these Packers.

Deadly duo

But, this defense probably can limit Aaron Rodgers in some capacity. It's a decent unit that could even afford to trade away a defender like Kwon Alexander at the deadline. Play of Fred Warner gave them that flexibility, because he's performing at all-pro level and is one of the best mike linebackers in the league at the moment. His speed and play recognition makes it very difficult for opposing defenses to get their running back involved in the passing game, out of the backfield.

But, luckily for the Packers, that's not the only way they can hurt you on offense. Aaron Rodgers is an amazing passer and this offense got even better with the return of Davante Adams. Not many teams have the courage to defend him one on one, because he's so deadly and beats the press coverage with ease. But the Niners might try with Jason Verrett, who is finally healthy after battling injuries his entire career. He's playing really well at the moment and San Francisco simply has to be aggressive and risk something in order to win this game.

49ers vs Packers betting tips

Looking at the main markets, I'm tempted by the under, considering everything I wrote above. Niners are a run-oriented team and with all these absences, they need to establish the run game, in order to shorten the game and keep Rodgers on the sidelines as much as possible. Also, there are some interesting lines in the player props category.

I am looking at JaMycal Hasty in this one. He is expected to get a lot of early down work with Coleman, Mostert and Jeff Wilson out of the game. But I am looking at this low receiving line. Yes, he's not much of a pass-catcher, but Niners love to be creative on early downs and get everybody involved in their screen game. It's also a way to get Mullens some easy completions and help him to find some rhythm and confidence early. Another reason for this would be neutralising Packers pass rush. Preventing Smith&Smith to pin their ears back and go after quarterback would be a smart thing to do.

Also, don't forget to check out our new feature for comparing outright odds. These two opponents are both part of the NFC conference. Odds for winning it can be found with this link: https://theplayer.com/odds/american-football/usa/nfl/nfl-nfc-conference-winner