Packers vs. 49ers: Tale of the tape for Week 12 matchup

Defense

Packers

This Packers defense is frustrating. They started off the year so well but have since fallen off. They seem to hemorrhage yards but then stiffen up in the red zone. They are by definition a bend-but-don’t-break defense, which is fine, but it is nearly impossible to sustain that kind of play. It feels like, eventually, something’s gotta give. Either they start making more stops and giving up so many yards, or the floodgates will eventually open and they won’t be able to stop a nosebleed.

Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith have still been playing very well. They lead the league in sacks as a duo with 18.5 sacks. But sacks aren’t the whole story either. While Za’Darius only has 8.5 of those sacks, he is constantly putting pressure on the quarterback, something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Those two have been absolutely vital to this defense and will continue to be for the rest of the season.

The inside linebacker position is worrisome. Blake Martinez is second in the league in total tackles with 102, but a lot of those tackles are coming 3-4 yards past the line of scrimmage. He has also struggled to cover in the passing game, a big reason why the Packers are giving up a ton of yards in the middle of the field.

Mike Pettine has to get something figured out for this Sunday, or I’m worried Kyle Shanahan and this 49ers offense will walk down the field and put up a good amount of points, especially if Kittle plays.

49ers

The 49ers have one of the best defenses in the league. They are second against the run and second against the pass. They have a great defensive line with guys like Nick Bosa, who is likely a frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year, if not Defensive Player of the Year. They also have Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, who have been enjoying nice seasons. They have been getting to the quarterback and making life hard for opposing offenses.

In the secondary, Richard Sherman is having a good season as well. He’s not playing to the level of Legion of Boom Richard Sherman, but he is still playing very well. He knows Rodgers and has had some success against him in the past. I would assume he will be the one covering Adams most of the game. Rodgers will likely have to get the other receivers involved early and often.

The one thing about this defense, I’ll say, is this: yes, they have been playing very well and deserve the attention they are getting. But at the same time, look at the offenses they have played. SB Nation’s Peter Bukowski made a really good point.

Looking at that, you can see they really haven’t been playing amazing offenses. Now, that isn’t their fault, you can only play who lines up in front of you. Maybe they are still that good, but I don’t think they’ve consistently played an offense that is as good as this Green Bay offense.

Even considering that, I think the 49ers have shown they are a great defense, something the Packers can’t necessarily say. I think their defense will have the advantage in this comparison.

Advantage: 49ers