This year begins a lot like last year did as the Green Bay Packers take on the San Francisco 49ers to kick-off the NFL season. The Packers weren’t so lucky against the 49ers in 2012 with a 0-2 record, including a crushing 45-31 defeat in the divisional round of the playoffs.
San Francisco went on to play in the Super Bowl and made a ton of changes in the off-season to solidfy their team as favorites to make it back to the biggest game in the world. Green Bay would love to put doubt in to their fans with an impressive road win to start the new season.
San Francisco 49ers (0-0) Analysis: What Head Coach Jim Hardbaugh has done in a short amount of time in The City by the Bay has been pretty amazing. It started out with a loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Title game in 2011 followed by last season’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl. Does the apparent trend end in a Super Bowl win this year or does the team come crashing back down to the reality of the NFL?
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will get his first shot at running the dynamic read-option offense for the entire year unlike last year when he didn’t start until week 11. Whether it’s a smash success or not is more of a question mark than people think. Hype during this off-season has been all about defenses adjusting to the running-revolution and it will be super-intersting to see if the adjustment is made.
Not much to say about the 49ers defense because it’s without a doubt the best unit in all of football (return 9 of 11 starters). Going up against the Packers who arguably have the best offensive unit is always a treat to see.
Green Bay Packers (0-0) Analysis: The big story in Green Bay this offseason was all about quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews getting paid. They combine to make $176 million which is a ton of dough. Just think of all the cheese and beer you could buy with that kind of money. Packers fans shouldn’t go all-out in panic mode though because General Manager Ted Thompson is one of the best in the biz and will have the team stocked with young/cheap talent.
It wasn’t the offense that caused the Packers to spiral down at the end of last season, but it is deservedly the most anticipated facet of the 2013 team. Rookie running back Eddie Lacy projects to be the workhorse in a run-game that has to improve from a year ago. Green Bay ranked 20th in rushing yards per game and 22nd in rushing yards per carry.
Defensively, coordinator Dom Capers made it a mission in the off-season to alleviate the nightmare that Kaepernick caused in the playoffs. He went to college coaches and learned how to better defend the read-option. Expect the Packers to be much agressive on the ball this season with a lot more smacking of the quarterback opposed to letting them run like a gazelle in the open field.
Brutally Honest Prediction: San Francisco 24 Green Bay 20
Opening the season on the road would be significantly easier for the Packers if it wasn’t against one of the best run-defenses in the history of the NFL. Lacy will be the x-factor for the Packers all season because just like defenses adjusting to the read-option, they know all about Aaron Rodgers and his extreme accuracy in the west-coast offense. Look for the 49ers offense to struggle out of the gate in this one, but ride their above average run-game all the way to a late win in the best match-up of week one.
TV Coverage: 3:25 PM CT FOX Play-by-play man Joe Buck and color analyst Troy Aikman will have the call from the broadcast booth with Pam Oliver reporting from the sidelines.
Betting Lines: 49ers favored (-5) and over/under at 48.5 points
2012 Record straight up: 11-4 (Not bad right?)
2012 Record against the spread: 6-9 (Damn you Vegas!)
2012 Record in over/under: 9-6 (Nothing wrong with this …)
Do you think the Packers can buck the trend and pull off an upset in San Fran? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys sharing Fantasy Advice and pretends to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Pictures obtained from Packers.com.