Predicting the Packers’ final six games of the 2019 season
Week 12: at 49ers
This is the first of two big games remaining on the Packers’ schedule. Despite the 49ers’ 9-1 record, this is definitely a beatable team. They have played teams this season with a combined record of 38-62-2, a winning percentage of just 37 percent.
Now I’m not saying the 49ers aren’t a good team, because they are. But I think you need to take their 9-1 record with a grain of salt. They have had a relatively easy schedule to start the year. We will see how good this 49ers team really is over the course of the next few weeks. They have the Packers at home, then travel to Baltimore and New Orleans the next two weeks, then will host the Falcons, who seemed to have figured it out all of a sudden.
The Packers are coming off a bye week. That means another week to get ready and plan for the 49ers, but to also get healthy. In the initial injury report this week, the Packers had just two players miss practice, and that was for veteran’s rest, not a true injury. This is the healthiest I can remember the Packers being this late in the season, and at 8-2, things are looking positive for this team.
Health is not something the 49ers have on their side. Their injury report looks more like something the Packers’ reports usually do. There are several key players that head coach Kyle Shanahan said will “come down to the wire.”
Some of the bigger names who did not practice include tight end George Kittle, running back Matt Breida, receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel, offensive tackle Joe Staley and linebacker Dee Ford.
Those are some big-time players to be missing practice before playing the Packers to keep the number one seed in the NFC. I’m sure at least a few of them will play Sunday night, but in the off-chance most or all of them miss, that would give the Packers a huge advantage.
I think health and the extra week the Packers had to prepare for the 49ers is the big difference in this game.