The San Francisco 49ers lost again, getting beaten by the Green Bay Packers by a final score of 17-3. In certain ways, this game was closer than the final score indicates. In other ways, it really wasn't. The 49ers defense brought a great game plan, and actually did a pretty good job against the Packers. They got pressure on Aaron Rodgers, the secondary made plays, and they gave the offense some opportunities. After two straight weeks of abysmal defensive performances, it was fun to watch.
Unfortunately, the offense continued to struggle. After a great ground game against Minnesota, and a decent passing game against Pittsburgh, this marked the second straight week the 49ers offense could not get going in the least bit. Colin Kaepernick did not make the same bad decisions as last week, but there was just nothing going. He was sacked five times, but even when he had some time to throw, nothing was happening. Whether it was overthrown passes or drops, nothing was happening.
This felt very much like a 49ers game from the Mike Nolan or Mike Singletary era. I suppose the deep ball to Torrey Smith for 47 yards was an exception to that, but as the defense excelled, the offense could just not getting anything going. They had a couple chances down inside the red zone, but pass protection fell apart, Kap couldn't make anything happen, and the offense would just move backwards.
I had some hope for this one when the 49ers went into halftime down 7-3, and getting the ball back to start the third quarter. But this really did feel like one of those pre-Harbaugh games. And while the 49ers have lost to three good teams, frustrations are evident. Last week the defense was particularly frustrated. This week, we saw Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin showing visible frustration. This is only going to get worse.
The 49ers head east to face the New York Giants in Week 5 on Sunday Night Football. The Giants got off to a bad start, but have won two straight to improve to 2-2. Coming off a third straight defeat, I am curious how the 49ers come out of the gates next week at MetLife Stadium. These guys are professionals, but the frustration is evident.