The Green Bay Packers put it on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, cruising to a 38-10 win over their NFC rivals to move to 8-3 on the season. With this win, the Packers solidified their position as a clear playoff contender in the NFC and the 49ers’ season now feels on the brink of spiraling out of control.
One of the big stories coming into this game was the health of the 49ers’ roster. Starting quarterback Brock Purdy missed this one due to a shoulder injury and left tackle Trent Williams also sat out with an ankle injury. On defense, superstar defensive end Nick Bosa also missed this game with a hip and oblique injury.
All of that injury news comes on top of the fact that top wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season. Despite all of that, Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon wasn’t trying to hear any excuses about injuries, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
“It’s the NFL. It’s not an excuse,” Nixon said after the game, per Schneidman. “We didn’t have our quarterback. We won three games, so we don’t wanna hear that. We came to play. They should’ve came to play.”
The Packers did go 2-0 with Malik Willis in at quarterback for the injured Jordan Love earlier in the season, and they also won a third game when Willis entered the game in relief.
Packers chasing Lions and Vikings in NFC North
Despite winning six of their last seven games and sitting at 8-3 on the season, the Packers are still in third place in a historically good NFC North. The Minnesota Vikings are sitting at 9-2 and the Detroit Lions are leading the way at 10-1.
Despite sitting in third place, it would take a colossal meltdown down the stretch for the Packers not to be one of the top two wild card teams (if they’re unable to make up the ground in the division). That would likely put them up against the champion of the NFC West or the NFC South in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, which is a game they would feel comfortable in.
Regardless, the Packers have one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL with a strong running game and an extremely well-designed offense with Matt LaFleur calling the shots. Their schedule is very difficult down the stretch — games against the Dolphins, Seahawks, Lions and Vikings all present serious challenges — but the Packers have proven that they have the talent and the pedigree to beat those types of teams late in the season.
If they can continue playing the type of football that allowed them to blow out the 49ers on Sunday, this team will be a very tough out in the playoffs. Even if they have to go on the road, no team will want to play the Packers in January.
