Packers won’t face Jimmy Garoppolo or George Kittle in Week 9

The Packers won’t come up against Jimmy Garoppolo or George Kittle this week.

After watching the Green Bay Packers give up 226 total yards and four touchdowns to Dalvin Cook on Sunday, you could be forgiven for being a little concerned when seeing the San Francisco 49ers are up next.

After all, when the Packers last met the 49ers last January, they gave up 226 total yards and four touchdowns to Raheem Mostert. No, that’s not a typo. The exact same stat line.

However, the 49ers team that ended the Packers’ season back then looks very different now. After all, San Francisco has lost more games in eight weeks (four) than all of last season (three). It has also dealt with some of the worst injury luck in recent memory.

And it got worse this past week.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers will be without quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and star tight end George Kittle for an extended time.

They will also be without Mostert, who was dominant in the NFC title game, as well as wide receiver Deebo Samuel. On defense, there will be no Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, or Dee Ford.

If ever there was a time for the Packers to get revenge on the 49ers for last season, this is it.

The Packers have their own injury concerns, of course. Stars David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones have both missed time with injury and it’s unclear whether they’ll be ready to go on Thursday night. Nineteen players are on the Packers’ injury report for Week 9.

The Packers will also be without running back AJ Dillon as he tested positive for COVID-19, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, and has since been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

After last week’s performance against the Vikings, the thought of taking on Kyle Shanahan’s offense is a concern. However, given all of the injuries the 49ers are facing, this should give this defense an opportunity to bounce back.

If not, some serious questions will be asked about the defense and potentially Mike Pettine’s future.