Packers Dominate Short-Handed Niners
Green Bay suffered a disappointing 28-22 upset loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
On Thursday, the Packers made sure to not suffer the same fate, notching a 34-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Here are the key takeaways from this Thursday Night Football matchup:
1. Superstar Davante Adams
Coming into Thursday night, Davante Adams had been finding the end zone at a torrid pace, recording 20 catches for 249 yards and five touchdowns in Green Bay's last two games.
He continued his receiving dominance against San Francisco.
Adams added 10 more grabs for 173 yards and a score, proving his stellar play to be no fluke, and Thursday was the third time this season that Adams recorded at least 150 receiving yards.
In fact, at one point in the third quarter, he had more receiving yards than the Niners had total yards.
In addition, after Thursday's performance, Adams entered rarified air.
2. Valdes-Scantling breaks loose
Throughout this week, there was much discussion about the Packers needing to add another wide receiver next to Davante Adams due to the lack of production from their secondary wideouts.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling calmed those concerns – if only for one night – against the 49ers.
The third-year wide receiver put together his best game since Green Bay's season-opener against Minnesota, recording two catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
It wasn't an Adams-like performance from the MVS, but he made the most of his opportunities, which might just be enough for Aaron Rodgers.
3. SF offense drops off
The 49ers have been hit by the injury bug as hard as any team in the NFL, and Thursday, they were missing their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and All-Pro tight end George Kittle (foot).
Predictably, the 49ers struggled to get anything going against the Packers, and San Francisco didn't score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, via a 47-yard connection from backup quarterback Nick Mullens to Richie James.
James was the lone bright spot for the 49ers, recording nine catches for 184 yards and a score.
The final score will indicate that the 49ers scored 17 points, but both of their touchdowns came when the game was well out of reach.
SF – the defending NFC champions – are now 4-5 on the season and last in the NFC West.