49ers attempt to bounce back and boost their postseason chances as they visit Green Bay
San Francisco (5-5) at Green Bay (7-3)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOX
BetMGM NFL odds: Packers by 2 1/2.
Against the spread: 49ers 4-6; Packers 4-6
Series record: Packers lead 38-34-1
Last meeting: 49ers beat Packers 24-21 in NFC divisional playoff game Jan. 20, 2024, in Santa Clara, California.
Last week: 49ers lost 20-17 at home to Seattle; Packers won 20-19 at Chicago
49ers offense: overall (2), rush (7), pass (4), scoring (T-8)
Packers offense: overall (4), rush (4), pass (9), scoring (T-8)
49ers defense: overall (6), rush (8), pass (8), scoring (T-16)
Packers defense: overall (12), rush (14), pass (13), scoring (10)
Turnover differential: 49ers plus-3; Packers plus-5
49ers player to watch
QB Brandon Allen: With Brock Purdy unavailable due to a sore right shoulder, Allen will make his first start in three years. The 32-year-old Allen has made nine career starts, and his teams have gone 2-7 in those games. His last start came with Cincinnati in the 2021 regular-season finale when the Bengals rested usual starter Joe Burrow to get ready for the playoffs. Allen has thrown three passes in the last three seasons, including none since joining San Francisco in 2023. Allen was a member of the Los Angeles Rams in 2017, when Packers coach Matt LaFleur was that team’s offensive coordinator.
Packers player to watch
RB Josh Jacobs has 838 yards rushing this season to rank third in the NFL entering Week 12. He ran for 76 yards and a touchdown while also catching five passes for 58 yards against the Bears. Jacobs has scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) over his past four games. He has at least 90 yards from scrimmage over his past six games, matching Houston’s Joe Mixon for the NFL’s longest such active streak.
Key matchup
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Packers run defense: McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns — including the game-winner with 1:07 left — in the 49ers’ playoff victory over the Packers last season. Green Bay is coming off a performance in which it allowed a season-high 179 yards rushing to the Bears.
Key injuries
Purdy isn’t playing due to a sore throwing shoulder. … The 49ers also won’t have Nick Bosa after he injured his left hip and oblique against the Seahawks. … Niners CB Charvarius Ward will miss a third straight game following the death of his 1-year-old daughter. … Niners LT Trent Williams (ankle) is questionable. … Niners TE George Kittle is expected back after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury. … Packers CB Jaire Alexander (knee) and LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) have been ruled out. … Packers guard Jordan Morgan (shoulder) is on injured reserve.
Series notes
The 49ers have beaten the Packers in the playoffs three of the past five years. That includes a 37-19 victory in the 2019 NFC championship, a 13-10 upset at Lambeau Field in the 2021 divisional round and the 24-21 thriller last season. The past three matchups between these teams — including a Packers 30-28 road victory on Sept. 26, 2021 — have been decided by a total of eight points. This marks the first time these teams have faced off at Lambeau Field during the regular season since a Packers 33-30 triumph on Oct. 15, 2018. Each of the past three Packers-49ers games at Green Bay have been decided by three points. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Packers coach Matt LaFleur worked together as assistants at Houston (2008-09), Washington (2010-13) and Atlanta (2015-16).
Stats and stuff
A loss would give the 49ers a losing record more than 10 games into a season for the first time since going 6-10 in 2020. … San Francisco has lost a league-worst three games this season after leading in the final two minutes of regulation. … The 49ers have allowed 36 points in the final two minutes of regulation, second most in the NFL. … The Niners had only one play from scrimmage go for at least 20 yards last week, tied for the fewest in any game in eight seasons under Shanahan. … San Francisco is outgaining the opposition through the air by an NFL-best 53.9 yards per game. … McCaffrey has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in his first two games back from Achilles tendinitis and has five straight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage going back to last postseason. … McCaffrey’s 57 games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage are the most for any active player. … The 49ers are 1-5 this season when Purdy turns the ball over and 4-0 when he doesn’t. … Purdy’s four rushing TDs are the most in a season for a Niners QB since Colin Kaepernick had four in 2013. … This is the first of three games the Packers are playing in a 12-day stretch. They host the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night and visit the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Dec. 5. … The Packers are tied for fourth in the league with 19 takeaways, but they don’t have any over their past two games. … Packers S Xavier McKinney has six interceptions this season to rank second in the league, behind Detroit’s Kerby Joseph (seven). McKinney has seven total takeaways, putting him in a tie for first with Joseph. … Jacobs’ 838 yards rushing and 1,024 scrimmage yards this season are the most any Packer has had in his first 10 games with the team. Jacobs’ 1,024 scrimmage yards are the most for any Packer through the first 10 games of a season since Ahman Green had 1,057 at this point in 2004. … Packers DL Rashan Gary had his 35th sack against Chicago to overtake teammate Kenny Clark for ninth place in franchise history. Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is still seeking his first sack of the season. … The Packers and 49ers have the NFC’s best regular-season winning percentage since 2019. The Packers are 63-30 and the 49ers 59-34 during that stretch. … San Francisco’s George Kittle has seven touchdown catches to lead all NFL tight ends. Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft has five touchdown receptions to match Baltimore’s Mark Andrews for the second-highest total among tight ends. … The 49ers rank 26th in the league with TDs on 48.8% of their red zone drives. Green Bay is 27th in that category and has scored TDs on 48.7% of its drives.
Fantasy tip
Packers WR Christian Watson’s slow start to the season means he might have been stashed on someone’s bench or perhaps even became available on some fantasy football waiver wires. Now would be a good time to try to acquire him. Watson had four catches for a career-high 150 yards against the Bears. After getting targeted just 14 times over his first six games, Watson’s had 17 targets in his past three. He had a catch each of the four times Jordan Love targeted him in Chicago.
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