The 49ers’ defense was dominant Sunday night against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. San Francisco held Rodgers to 104 yards and 3.2 yards per attempt in one of the worst outings of his career.
Perhaps the stat most indicative of the 49ers’ defensive dismantling of the Hall of Fame quarterback was provided by ESPN’s Next Gen Stats.
Rodgers didn’t complete a pass that traveled at least 10 yards in the air:
There were a couple reasons for this.
First, San Francisco’s coverage down the field was terrific. Jimmie Ward knocked two downfield throws away, including a deep shot to Jimmy Graham that was in the tight end’s hands before the safety wrestled it away.
The pass rush was another reason for the lack of throws down the field. Rodgers didn’t have time to sit back and find receivers beyond 10 yards. He had to get rid of the ball to avoid the onslaught of 49ers pass rushers that spent most of the game in the backfield.
Holding Rodgers to such limited production is perhaps the most impressive thing the 49ers defense has done all season, and a tribute to how good they are up front and in the secondary.
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