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Green Bay — Here are a few things I noticed when watching tape of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers:
- On second-and-5 on the opening possession of the game, with the Packers on offense, quarterback Aaron Rodgers moved rapidly to the line of scrimmage in hopes of snapping the ball quickly to catch the defense mid-substitution. It’s something that Rodgers has done extraordinarily well so far this season, tallying a number of “free plays” that afford him a risk-free pass down the field. But one of the officials stood over the ball on Sunday to prevent Rodgers from beginning the next play as fast as he would have liked. By rule, the defense must be allowed time to substitute if the offense makes a substitution on a given play. The no-huddle offense, used at times by the Packers, does not usually substitute unless there is an incomplete pass or the ball carrier goes out of bounds. Rodgers was unhappy with the official slowing the pace on this particular play Sunday, and threw his arms up in frustration.
- The Packers unveiled yet another wrinkle to their dime defense on the first drive of the game by placing a new linebacker in the middle of the field. Six days earlier, in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, defensive coordinator Dom Capers trotted out the newly signed Joe Thomas as the lone inside linebacker. On Sunday, Clay Matthews filled that role at times. With Matthews in the middle of the field, Thomas and Mike Neal lined up as the two outside linebackers in the familiar 2-3-6 alignment from font to back. Julius Peppers and Datone Jones were the two defensive linemen. (Note: It looks like a 4-1-6 alignment because the outside linebackers stand along the line of scrimmage.) The secondary consisted of Sam Shields and Damarious Randall on the perimeter, Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde in the slots, Sean Richardson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety. The Packers returned to this formation several times throughout the game, and it may have been used to allow Matthews to “spy” quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In the second half, though, they reverted to a more traditional dime look with Thomas in the middle and Matthews on the outside.
- The dynamic package featuring receivers Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery in the backfield returned against the 49ers after being used effectively in the win over the Seattle Seahawks. This time, Cobb and Montgomery both lined up in the backfield to begin the second offensive possession, with Cobb sliding in at halfback and Montgomery lined up as a fullback. The drive, which gained 32 yards and ended with a punt, featured a handoff to Montgomery, a toss to Montgomery and a swing pass to Cobb, among other plays, before stalling after a false start penalty on right guard T.J. Lang. Still, the formation added a new twist on a concept that has proved effective in the past.
- Mike Daniels, B.J. Raji and Mike Pennel took the field as the starting linemen in the base defense for the Packers, but it did not take long for Letroy Guion to reclaim his spot with the starters. Guion, suspended for the first three games of the season, entered the game on the second defensive possession for the Packers. He lined up as one of the two down linemen in the nickel defense alongside Raji. By the start of the second half, Guion had supplanted Pennel in the base defense. Here’s a look at the snap-count totals for the defensive linemen against the 49ers: Daniels 27, Raji 24, Guion 22, Jones 15, Pennel 8.
- Before Letroy Guion broke into starting lineup to begin the second half, the Packers made use of their big version of the base defense, sometimes referred to as the “Big Okie.” This particular personnel group is still a 3-4 alignment — Mike Daniels, B.J. Raji, Mike Pennel up front; Mike Neal, Nate Palmer, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers at linebacker — but it removes the second cornerback and adds a third safety. This season, Casey Hayward has made way for Sean Richardson, who joined Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the back part of the defense. Veteran Sam Shields is the only true cornerback on the field in this formation. The Packers tend to use this group when the opponent brings out 1-WR formations.
- For all the trouble Kaepernick has had throwing the ball this season — 13-of-25 for 160 yards and one interception against the Packers — his cleverness and sleight of hand with the zone read remained sharp. He thwarted linebacker Mike Neal on the second possession by pulling the ball out from the belly of running back Carlos Hyde, forcing Neal to actually make a hit on the running back. And later Jayrone Elliott, another outside linebacker, collided with Letroy Guion as he chased a running back who did not have the ball. Kaepernick had pulled the ball out again and taken off on his own. On the next snap, Elliott beelined for Kaepernick, who had already handed off to Hyde. Even when the Packers' defenders showed patience, as Neal did when he waited to make his move on the fourth defensive possession, Kaepernick had the speed to outrun him to the perimeter for a nice gain. (It was ultimately negated by a holding penalty away from the play.) In all, Kaepernick finished with 57 rushing yards at a clip of 5.7 yards per rush.
- The only scoring drive of the day for the 49ers, which produced a 33-yard field goal from Phil Dawson, stalled when the Packers notched back-to-back sacks on first and second down in the red zone. The sacks offered examples of two different kinds of pass rush, with Nick Perry downing Colin Kaepernick first and Jayrone Elliott following one snap later. Perry used a beautiful swiping move to toss aside the hands of offensive tackle Joe Staley and turn the corner. While Elliott, who got a very poor jump off the line of scrimmage and was chipped by a tailback, saw an opportunity to adjust his pass rush from outside to inside. He twisted inside of defensive lineman Letroy Guion and through the middle of the field to corral Kaepernick.
- The pass that made Packers’ fans hold their breath took place with 23 seconds remaining in the first half, when Aaron Rodgers threw to Randall Cobb in the back of the end zone. Cobb, still bothered by a sprained right shoulder, landed awkwardly on his right side in a sliding motion as he attempted to make the catch. After the play, his right arm hung from a strange angle as he jogged to the sideline. He returned to the game after sitting out one play. But a few snaps earlier, Cobb made a play that indicated his shoulder might have been healing fairly well, at least prior to the slide in the end zone. Rodgers threw a pass to the left to James Jones, who spun up the sideline for extra yards. Cobb raced forward to offer some help as a blocker and threw an aggressive block with his right shoulder into the chest of a defender. After the game, Cobb assured reporters he did not aggravate the shoulder injury.
- On the first offensive possession of the second half for the Packers, right tackle Don Barclay was walked back by linebacker Corey Lemonier. He forced Barclay to retreat almost behind Aaron Rodgers in the pocket, and the quarterback quickly escaped to his right. Rodgers took of up field and offered a pump fake that froze safety Eric Reid. It allowed him to turn the corner and pick up 17 yards, setting up a 1-yard plunge by John Kuhn on the next snap. The play was particularly impressive because the pump fake took place at the 14-yard line, a full 4 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Reid should have known Rodgers was no longer a passing threat. It was not the first time Barclay forced Rodgers to escape or take a sack.
- Defensive end Mike Daniels earned the praise of defensive coordinator Dom Capers for what was another solid performance against the 49ers, and his sequence to begin the fourth quarter typified that strong effort. On second-and-11 from the 21-yard line, the pressure from Daniels set up the second sack for linebacker Nick Perry. Daniels totally discarded right guard Jordan Devey, who wound up on the ground, and forced Colin Kaepernick to step up in the pocket, where Perry pounced. On the next snap, Daniels again destroyed Devey and nearly tallied a sack. Instead, Kaepernick scrambled forward and was tackled short of the first down to bring on the punting unit.
- Rookie cornerback Damarious Randall gave up a big-yardage play for the second game in a row. Last week, against the Chiefs, Randall yielded a 61-yard catch and run to Jeremy Maclin, who surprised Randall with a break across the middle of the field. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. said Randall covered the beginning of the route so well — his backpedaling off the line of scrimmage was terrific — that he did not expect quarterback Alex Smith to throw to Maclin. But then the veteran receiver darted inside, and Smith connected with him in stride for a large gain. On Sunday, Randall was beaten by a terrific throw from Colin Kaepernick, who dropped a lofted pass beautifully into the arms of receiver Torrey Smith along the sideline for 47 yards. Those two passes have been virtually the only blemishes on Randall’s report card. He has been terrific overall.
- For all of the criticism heaped on Don Barclay as a pass blocker, it’s important to note that he performed admirably — again — as a run blocker. His lone mistake of the game on a running play came late in the fourth quarter when he whiffed on outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, who swallowed up tailback Eddie Lacy for a loss. But Barclay responded on the very next play with another solid block to spring Lacy for a 10-yard gain, which was more indicative of his performance overall. In total, the rushing game for the Packers chewed up 162 yards at a very good clip of 4.9 yards per carry. Lacy, who finished with 90 yards on 18 carries, was particularly efficient.
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- On second-and-5 on the opening possession of the game, with the Packers on offense, quarterback Aaron Rodgers moved rapidly to the line of scrimmage in hopes of snapping the ball quickly to catch the defense mid-substitution. It’s something that Rodgers has done extraordinarily well so far this season, tallying a number of “free plays” that afford him a risk-free pass down the field. But one of the officials stood over the ball on Sunday to prevent Rodgers from beginning the next play as fast as he would have liked. By rule, the defense must be allowed time to substitute if the offense makes a substitution on a given play. The no-huddle offense, used at times by the Packers, does not usually substitute unless there is an incomplete pass or the ball carrier goes out of bounds. Rodgers was unhappy with the official slowing the pace on this particular play Sunday, and threw his arms up in frustration.
- The Packers unveiled yet another wrinkle to their dime defense on the first drive of the game by placing a new linebacker in the middle of the field. Six days earlier, in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, defensive coordinator Dom Capers trotted out the newly signed Joe Thomas as the lone inside linebacker. On Sunday, Clay Matthews filled that role at times. With Matthews in the middle of the field, Thomas and Mike Neal lined up as the two outside linebackers in the familiar 2-3-6 alignment from font to back. Julius Peppers and Datone Jones were the two defensive linemen. (Note: It looks like a 4-1-6 alignment because the outside linebackers stand along the line of scrimmage.) The secondary consisted of Sam Shields and Damarious Randall on the perimeter, Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde in the slots, Sean Richardson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety. The Packers returned to this formation several times throughout the game, and it may have been used to allow Matthews to “spy” quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In the second half, though, they reverted to a more traditional dime look with Thomas in the middle and Matthews on the outside.
- The dynamic package featuring receivers Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery in the backfield returned against the 49ers after being used effectively in the win over the Seattle Seahawks. This time, Cobb and Montgomery both lined up in the backfield to begin the second offensive possession, with Cobb sliding in at halfback and Montgomery lined up as a fullback. The drive, which gained 32 yards and ended with a punt, featured a handoff to Montgomery, a toss to Montgomery and a swing pass to Cobb, among other plays, before stalling after a false start penalty on right guard T.J. Lang. Still, the formation added a new twist on a concept that has proved effective in the past.
- Mike Daniels, B.J. Raji and Mike Pennel took the field as the starting linemen in the base defense for the Packers, but it did not take long for Letroy Guion to reclaim his spot with the starters. Guion, suspended for the first three games of the season, entered the game on the second defensive possession for the Packers. He lined up as one of the two down linemen in the nickel defense alongside Raji. By the start of the second half, Guion had supplanted Pennel in the base defense. Here’s a look at the snap-count totals for the defensive linemen against the 49ers: Daniels 27, Raji 24, Guion 22, Jones 15, Pennel 8.
- Before Letroy Guion broke into starting lineup to begin the second half, the Packers made use of their big version of the base defense, sometimes referred to as the “Big Okie.” This particular personnel group is still a 3-4 alignment — Mike Daniels, B.J. Raji, Mike Pennel up front; Mike Neal, Nate Palmer, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers at linebacker — but it removes the second cornerback and adds a third safety. This season, Casey Hayward has made way for Sean Richardson, who joined Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the back part of the defense. Veteran Sam Shields is the only true cornerback on the field in this formation. The Packers tend to use this group when the opponent brings out 1-WR formations.
- For all the trouble Kaepernick has had throwing the ball this season — 13-of-25 for 160 yards and one interception against the Packers — his cleverness and sleight of hand with the zone read remained sharp. He thwarted linebacker Mike Neal on the second possession by pulling the ball out from the belly of running back Carlos Hyde, forcing Neal to actually make a hit on the running back. And later Jayrone Elliott, another outside linebacker, collided with Letroy Guion as he chased a running back who did not have the ball. Kaepernick had pulled the ball out again and taken off on his own. On the next snap, Elliott beelined for Kaepernick, who had already handed off to Hyde. Even when the Packers' defenders showed patience, as Neal did when he waited to make his move on the fourth defensive possession, Kaepernick had the speed to outrun him to the perimeter for a nice gain. (It was ultimately negated by a holding penalty away from the play.) In all, Kaepernick finished with 57 rushing yards at a clip of 5.7 yards per rush.
- The only scoring drive of the day for the 49ers, which produced a 33-yard field goal from Phil Dawson, stalled when the Packers notched back-to-back sacks on first and second down in the red zone. The sacks offered examples of two different kinds of pass rush, with Nick Perry downing Colin Kaepernick first and Jayrone Elliott following one snap later. Perry used a beautiful swiping move to toss aside the hands of offensive tackle Joe Staley and turn the corner. While Elliott, who got a very poor jump off the line of scrimmage and was chipped by a tailback, saw an opportunity to adjust his pass rush from outside to inside. He twisted inside of defensive lineman Letroy Guion and through the middle of the field to corral Kaepernick.
- The pass that made Packers’ fans hold their breath took place with 23 seconds remaining in the first half, when Aaron Rodgers threw to Randall Cobb in the back of the end zone. Cobb, still bothered by a sprained right shoulder, landed awkwardly on his right side in a sliding motion as he attempted to make the catch. After the play, his right arm hung from a strange angle as he jogged to the sideline. He returned to the game after sitting out one play. But a few snaps earlier, Cobb made a play that indicated his shoulder might have been healing fairly well, at least prior to the slide in the end zone. Rodgers threw a pass to the left to James Jones, who spun up the sideline for extra yards. Cobb raced forward to offer some help as a blocker and threw an aggressive block with his right shoulder into the chest of a defender. After the game, Cobb assured reporters he did not aggravate the shoulder injury.
- On the first offensive possession of the second half for the Packers, right tackle Don Barclay was walked back by linebacker Corey Lemonier. He forced Barclay to retreat almost behind Aaron Rodgers in the pocket, and the quarterback quickly escaped to his right. Rodgers took of up field and offered a pump fake that froze safety Eric Reid. It allowed him to turn the corner and pick up 17 yards, setting up a 1-yard plunge by John Kuhn on the next snap. The play was particularly impressive because the pump fake took place at the 14-yard line, a full 4 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Reid should have known Rodgers was no longer a passing threat. It was not the first time Barclay forced Rodgers to escape or take a sack.
- Defensive end Mike Daniels earned the praise of defensive coordinator Dom Capers for what was another solid performance against the 49ers, and his sequence to begin the fourth quarter typified that strong effort. On second-and-11 from the 21-yard line, the pressure from Daniels set up the second sack for linebacker Nick Perry. Daniels totally discarded right guard Jordan Devey, who wound up on the ground, and forced Colin Kaepernick to step up in the pocket, where Perry pounced. On the next snap, Daniels again destroyed Devey and nearly tallied a sack. Instead, Kaepernick scrambled forward and was tackled short of the first down to bring on the punting unit.
- Rookie cornerback Damarious Randall gave up a big-yardage play for the second game in a row. Last week, against the Chiefs, Randall yielded a 61-yard catch and run to Jeremy Maclin, who surprised Randall with a break across the middle of the field. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. said Randall covered the beginning of the route so well — his backpedaling off the line of scrimmage was terrific — that he did not expect quarterback Alex Smith to throw to Maclin. But then the veteran receiver darted inside, and Smith connected with him in stride for a large gain. On Sunday, Randall was beaten by a terrific throw from Colin Kaepernick, who dropped a lofted pass beautifully into the arms of receiver Torrey Smith along the sideline for 47 yards. Those two passes have been virtually the only blemishes on Randall’s report card. He has been terrific overall.
- For all of the criticism heaped on Don Barclay as a pass blocker, it’s important to note that he performed admirably — again — as a run blocker. His lone mistake of the game on a running play came late in the fourth quarter when he whiffed on outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, who swallowed up tailback Eddie Lacy for a loss. But Barclay responded on the very next play with another solid block to spring Lacy for a 10-yard gain, which was more indicative of his performance overall. In total, the rushing game for the Packers chewed up 162 yards at a very good clip of 4.9 yards per carry. Lacy, who finished with 90 yards on 18 carries, was particularly efficient.
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