Packers: Five players key to victory in Week 9 vs. 49ers
By Jesse Fry
Who are the five key players for a Packers victory in Week 9?
In a short week there was a lot of news for the Green Bay Packers, and some news by no news.
The week started on a sour note with AJ Dillon testing positive for COVID-19. It got worse from there with Jamaal Williams and up-and-coming rookie Kamal Martin being identified as in close contact and also ruled out for Thursday night’s game.
Then there was the news by no news as the trade deadline came and went with the Packers not making any moves. After heavy rumors involving the Packers and Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller, the team found the asking price of the Texans too steep and a deal could not be made.
Through this all, the Packers have been forced to prepare for a very pivotal game completely virtual due to the positive Covid test.
That’s a lot to unpack before we even get to the game.
The Packers and 49ers are coming off losses to division rivals on Sunday and in need to rebound. San Fransisco’s loss was doubly hard as they lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle.
This was on top of injuries to running backs Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, as well as wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The 49ers’ injuries aren’t limited to the offense as Richard Sherman, Joey Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford, and Ziggy Ansah are already on injured reserve.
That should all be good news for a Packers team that was soundly defeated by the 49ers twice last year, including the NFC title game.
But this should not give the Packers comfort.
The 49ers have not quit on this season at all and will give the shorthanded Packers all they got.
This is a very important game for Green Bay. One they need to have. The Packers have not lost back-to-back games under Matt LaFleur but they also hadn’t lost an NFC North game prior to Sunday.
This game is anything but a gimme. The Packers will need to get very creative and the stars will need to play as such regardless of who’s on the field.
Here are my five players key to victory versus the 49ers.