49ers snap count vs. Packers: Dontae Johnson benched on defense

The San Francisco 49ers lost another tough one in Week 4, falling to the Green Bay Packers 17-3. The team did not make any offensive adjustments, but we did see some changes on the defensive side of the ball. The most notable was that Dontae Johnson was benched. He got special teams snaps, but failed to see the field with the defense.

Tramaine Brock and Kenneth Acker have been the starting corners this year, but we have seen some rotation in how the nickel operates. Early on Dontae Johnson was coming on as the outside corner. It became a bit of a rotation between Johnson and Jimmie Ward. This week, it was almost entirely Ward. He drew Randall Cobb for much of the game. He struggled at times, but he also had some strong moments. Pro Football Focus listed him as giving up four receptions for 38 yards on six targets at Cobb. Not a great performance, but considering how good Cobb has been this year, and how low some are on Ward, it was a step in the right direction for Ward.

What this means for Johnson remains to be seen. It is only one week, and maybe it is just mixing and matching possible combinations. It was an odd choice as he was coming off what seemed to be his best game of the season. PFF lists him as having been targeted five times in Week 3, and giving up no receptions. I'm not entirely sure what the reasoning was for that.

If the coaching staff is willing to make changes on defense, you'd think they would make some adjustments on offense. Tomsula said he would not comment in the media about potential lineup changes. Considering it was another poor day on the right side of the offensive line, you'd think something would have to change. Daniel Kilgore cannot return until Week 7 at the earliest. Maybe the team is just going to wait it out, but they are not going to improve on offense without changes on the offensive line.