By Matt Schneidman, Matt Barrows and Cale Clinton
The Green Bay Packers dominated the ground game against the San Francisco 49ers in a 38-10 win at Lambeau Field. The Packers (8-3) head into a shortened Thanksgiving week winning six of their last seven games, while the 49ers (5-6) slip into last place in the NFC West.
Green Bay finished the afternoon with 169 rushing yards — 87 of which came in the first quarter. Josh Jacobs led the way, rushing for 106 yards on 26 carries and posting his third career three-touchdown game. Green Bay finished a perfect five-for-five in the red zone, with Jordan Love connecting with Tucker Kraft and Malik Heath on touchdown passes. Love finished the afternoon 13-for-23 for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
Josh Jacobs with his third rushing TD of the day ‼️
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With Brock Purdy out this week with a shoulder injury, the 49ers started Brandon Allen, who hadn’t had a regular season pass attempt since Week 9 of the 2022 season. Allen looked overwhelmed by the Packers’ defense, fumbling twice and throwing an interception to Xavier McKinney. Allen finished the day 17-for-29 for 199 yards and a touchdown.
The 49ers also continued a troubling trend of penalties — tying a season-high with nine. San Francisco has had nine penalties against them in three of the last four games.
Marquee additions come up big for Packers
It’s fair to say the Packers’ two marquee free-agent signings have panned out quite nicely. Sunday proved that yet again. McKinney intercepted his seventh pass of the season, tied again for first in the NFL with Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph.
That takeaway set up Jacobs’ second of three rushing touchdowns on the day — all three came of the 1-yard variety. Jacobs had his third game with over 100 rushing yards for Green Bay, once again proving the Packers didn’t misstep in swapping him with Aaron Jones back in March. Jacobs led the way for an offense that scored its most points since the 2023 season opener in Chicago. — Matt Schneidman, Packers beat writer
Doubs’ status in question for Thanksgiving
Wide receiver Romeo Doubs’ status for the Thanksgiving night game against the Miami Dolphins is in doubt after he was quickly ruled out with a concussion in the third quarter on Sunday. Doubs suffered the concussion while falling in the end zone after drawing a defensive pass interference penalty.
The third-year receiver had three catches for a team-high 54 yards on a team-high six targets at the time of his injury. All three catches converted third downs earlier in the drive on which Doubs got hurt. The Packers finished the drive with a 1-yard Jacobs touchdown run set up by Doubs drawing the penalty. With a short turnaround before playing on Thursday night, the Packers may have to rely more on receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Bo Melton if Doubs doesn’t clear concussion protocol in time. — Schneidman
McCaffrey, run game falls flat again
For the third straight game, the 49ers failed to get their vaunted running game going and finished with a season-low 44 rushing yards. That they fell behind 17-0 was certainly a factor. So was the fact that they were missing left tackle Trent Williams. But the big, explosive runs that were part of their repertoire last season and even in the first half of the current season have been absent recently. McCaffrey’s longest run in each of the last three games: 13, 11 and 9 yards. McCaffrey did have a 23-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter, but he fumbled at the end of the play.
San Francisco’s longest run on Sunday was a 16-yarder by Jordan Mason in the third quarter. Just a few weeks ago, Mason was the NFL’s third-leading rusher. But as was the case in recent weeks, he had only cameo appearances on Sunday. He came out of the game a snap after his long run and came back late in the game when the score was 38-10. — Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer
Jacobs exposes 49ers’ d-line absences
The aggressive, Wide 9 defense the 49ers use is an effective front — if a team has the right personnel. And it was clear the 49ers didn’t have the right personnel along their defensive line on Sunday. Nick Bosa was out with a hip/oblique injury. Jordan Elliott left in the first half with a suspected concussion. Javon Hargrave (triceps) has been missing for most of the season.
The result was a Packers running game that ran the ball at will. The 49ers pride themselves on keeping opposing tailbacks under 100 rushing yards. Jacobs had 91 yards at halftime — and finished with over 100 yards and three touchdowns — as little-known defensive linemen like Sam Okuayinonu, Kalia Davis and Evan Anderson swatted at his ankles but had trouble bringing him down.
Per Fox Sports, their 10 missed tackles in the opening quarter wasn’t just a first-quarter season high for them but for every team in the league. Those missed tackles helped create a hole the deleted 49ers could not climb out of. The last running back to go over 100 against the 49ers was Jones (108 yards) with the Packers in the divisional round of the 2023 playoffs. — Barrows
Required reading
- NFL Week 12 live updates and scores: Playoff projections, schedule, predictions, news, inactives, odds
- Kyle Shanahan on 49ers’ limited RB rotation: It’s hard to sit Christian McCaffrey
- A healthy Jordan Love’s improved mobility serves as a weapon for Packers offense
- What’s ailing Packers in the red zone? It’s more than just one thing
(Photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
