3 things Packers need to fix to beat 49ers in Week 9

2. Tackling

Oh, boy. Green Bay’s tackling has been nothing short of a disaster this season. After seemingly the entire defense was unable to stop Alvin Kamara on a big touchdown catch in Week 3, the same was true against Dalvin Cook this past Sunday on a 50-yard score.

The Packers need better play from their starting safeties. According to Pro Football Focus, Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage had a combined five missed tackles last week.

These kind of mistakes will cost the Packers games, and that’s especially true against offenses like the 49ers’. According to Pro Football Reference, San Francisco has 1,064 yards after the catch this season, second-most in the NFL. Kyle Shanahan is going to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers and test the Packers’ tackling.

A player the defense will need to be prepared for is rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk has impressed this season with 440 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in the seven games he’s played. According to Pro Football Reference, he has 140 yards after the catch.

Until the Packers can improve their tackling, they are going to continue to struggle against the best offenses around the league. To win this game, they need to be much better at preventing yards after the catch.