The Packers ran out of magic in the Niners’ wild card visit to Lambeau Field as Jim Harbaugh’s crew beat Green Bay for the fourth consecutive time. Colin Kaepernick had his way through the air against a Packers pass defense that saw four starters suffer injuries after kickoff. Davon House was a dark horse in the contest, making several big pass break-ups (with the help of some liberal officiating) while also giving up big gains.
Though the playoff loss at home will be a difficult one to swallow, fans must appreciate what the team was able to accomplish during a season that saw a large portion of the roster miss multiple games. There are several holes on the roster that will need to be addressed in free agency and the 2014 draft, starting with the safety position.
Positives
Tramon Williams
With Sam Shields exiting the game early, Williams quickly filled the Miami product’s shoes, nabbing a first half interception and helping slow San Francisco’s aerial threat. There will surely be conversation around the likely extension of Shields in the offseason but equally as relevant will be Ted Thompson’s call on retaining Williams in the final year of his contract. When Casey Hayward returns next season, it will be interesting to see if Williams maintains his job on the perimeter rather than shifting inside to the slot.
Run Defense
The defense was unable to contain Kaepernick on the ground but kept tailback Frank Gore in check until the game’s final drive. Mike Daniels continued to play a high level, making a key stop on third down early in the game. The run defense should improve further when Clay Matthews is back and healthy next season. It’s unknown whether the Packers will allow underachieving nose tackle B.J. Raji to test free agency in March but such decision will undoubtedly have some impact on the run defense.
Negatives
Offensive Line
The notorious Forty-Niner front seven absolutely dominated the Green Bay O-Line in the first half of the game and continued to abuse Aaron Rodgers in the second half. The Packer front five was forced to resort to holding on a number of occasions, many of which drew flags. As per usual, the offensive line did not create much for Eddie Lacy in the running game, though the rookie was able to manage 81 yards on 21 carries.
James Jones
Jones reverted to his 2010 self and dropped two crucial passes, one of which would have surely been a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Packers were unable involve No.4 wide receiver and rising star, Jarrett Boykin. Boykin has played equally as well as Jones throughout 2013 and will push the Packers front office in potentially having to choose between the two receivers in the offseason. Jones surely isn’t happy with how his 2013 season ended, though it’s hard to imagine the receiver in a different uniform next season.
Ted Thomson is got to get his head in the game and instead of getting rid of good players on free agency keep them on.we want the supper Bowl spend some money
Thompson finds his guys in the draft – we’ll continue to see a net outflow of players in free agency. I agree in that Ted has dropped the ball in developing a championship-caliber defense; the offense wasn’t good enough to mask the lack of talent on D this season.
Jones dropped some balls,but you are not saying how he finished game with broken ribs.We need to know this before we start judging peoples accomplishment in a game.
If Jones considers himself healthy enough to play and be targeted downfield then he has no excuse in dropping passes.
I Think They NeedEd Help From Defense. I Think We Could Have Won The Game If We Would Have Better Defense. The 9Ers Didn’ Beat Us, We Gave It To Them. If James Jones Can’t Do His Job Then We Need To Get Someone Who Can. Aaron And Lacey, And Jordy Did What They Were Supposed T Do. Oh Yeah, I Can’t LeavE OutKuhn. Great Job Anyways Guys
Sooo you don’t think clay shouldve played? Ware forvthe cowboys put a club on and went maybe he should to with the milllions he is making.also we need another dominant pass rusher..
I think nick perry is not our answer for pass rush…every team we play has enough time back there to look the defence over twice..a.j.hawk can’t do it all, he has more heart then anyone on the field. Never takes a game off. More then I can say of clay since he got his money.