Slowing Down San Francisco’s Offense Begins With Stopping Christian McCaffrey

The top-seeded San Francisco 49ers and their potent offense will be faced by the Green Bay Packers in the Bay Area following their 48-32 demolition of the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. It has to be seen how Green Bay’s defense will perform against Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. However, they have several strategies at their disposal to slow down San Francisco’s stars.

Through the first three quarters, they limited the top-ranked Cowboys attack to only 325 total yards and 16 points, which is impressive for a defense that has battled for much of the year. Two interceptions were also forced by them, one of which Darnell Savage returned for a touchdown.  Matt LaFleur and Joe Berry put the reserves in for most of the fourth quarter, allowing Dallas to pad the stats by scoring 16 more points. But it was a brutal beatdown for most of the game. Not all of the credit can go to the Packers’ defense. Dallas came out flat, and Dak Prescott was not on the same page with CeeDee Lamb for the entire first half.

Even though the Cowboys’ offense was statistically ranked first in the league, the 49ers have an arsenal of weapons. They average 398 yards and 29 points per game. Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy out of Iowa State looked like an MVP candidate for most of the season because of the players around him. Kyle Shanahan, one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, has also devised a scheme that’s less reliant on quarterback play.

San Francisco’s most dangerous weapon this season has been McCaffrey, who many consider to be the best running back in the league. Stopping him is Green Bay’s No. 1 concern, as he is extraordinarily nimble and explosive in the open field.Green Bay’s run defense has been an issue all year, and stopping McCaffrey will be challenging. The best running backs they have faced this year are rookie Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, and Austin Ekeler. Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and De’Vondre Campbell must step up to neutralize CMC.

In the past, the Packers have also struggled to cover Kittle. If Kittle is to have a middling day, Campbell or Quay Walker must have a huge one. Unless Joe Berry runs a nickel defense and inserts Keisean Nixon to assist, one will probably cover Kittle. Nixon is able to keep up with Kittle’s speed, but he might not have the strength to stop him from running his course or overcome him.

While Carrington Valentine covers Ray-Ray McCloud, Jaire Alexander will take on Aiyuk, so Green Bay’s secondary shouldn’t be too big of an issue. Purdy, 24, is capable of making some precise, deep throws. However, because he is still developing as a player, forcing him to make poor decisions in the pocket by blitzing him can be effective. The one thing that Purdy can do in this situation, though, is get the ball to McCaffrey on a screen or a dump-off if he’s not pass-blocking. But even if the Packers shut down McCaffrey, Kittle, and Aiyuk, San Francisco can still use Samuel on sweeps and reverses. Deebo is a force to be reckoned with. He’s just as explosive as McCaffrey, but Father Time is catching up with him.

Samuel, 28, isn’t as quick as he was when he was younger, and Green Bay’s defense is young. They have the speed and energy to catch up with Deebo and possibly neutralize him, but it won’t be easy. San Francisco’s offense looks too good to stop, especially for a young team like Green Bay. The Niners have gotten close to going to the Super Bowl the past two years, with losses in the last two NFC Championship games.

The Packers’ 2021 NFC Divisional loss to San Francisco provides Matt LaFleur and the team with a motivational advantage. Although Jordan Love was a reserve, Kenny Clark, Gary, Alexander, Smith, and other Green Bay defensive players all started that game as starters. Since LaFleur and Shanahan were both Mike Shanahan’s offensive assistants in Washington two years ago, they are also very close, and LaFleur will want to exact revenge on his friend. Assume that Jordan Love keeps up his strong play against a top-notch defense, and the Packers are able to mount a defensive stand against San Francisco’s offensive weaponry. Green Bay might perhaps have a possibility. If not, the Niners will defeat the Packers in their fifth consecutive postseason encounter through the final

 

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