The Packers came a long way this season. But this game shows there is still a lot to do to compete with the best teams in the NFL.

Hopefully the Packers, especially Rodgers find motivation in what happened in Santa Clara.

Lame Call: Once again the Packers loose because of defense in the playoffs and you want to blame the QB for not carrying the team. That is what is getting old. This was the worst defense Rodgers has had in the playoffs, no help at all. One receiver and one back is all Rodgers has on offense but yet he is expected to carry the team.

Bottom line: it's almost as if the November game against SF just kept going. When you get smoked in exactly the same way twice, it says more about personnel than scheme, IMO. The Packers did a little better job protecting #12, but in the end this team was just not physical enough and fast enough to match the 9ers. Remember the 90s when the emerging Packers were stuck looking up at a more talented and more physical Dallas team for a couple seasons? I hope the Packers can get over the hump against SF quick.

Our team got mowed over. Losing is one thing, but getting pulverized with close to 300 yards in the run game is devastating. 285 yards rushed on in the NFL with only 8 passing attempts? Wow! I didn't even know that was possible

Our GMs have been pushing most resources at our D for years , and we still get totally embarrassed when it matters most. I was hoping we'd concentrate on offensive weapons mostly this off season, but this D is still in need of work

Additionally;

"Rodgers, in his post game press conference, said he expects to be on the other side of games like this"
Well, if you expect to be on the other side, don't cough the ball up 5 times and lose 3, Aaron!

yes A-Rod could have been better and I do not like the fumbles at all but this game showed the need for another top flight WR and maybe something from the DL NOT named Clark. We need Matt to figure out the DC position and the GM to have another great off season..Love the PACK!!

Rodgers laid a clunker for sure. He had to be the GOAT yesterday for us to be competitive, and it probably still wouldn't have mattered with the run defense being THAT bad.

It's embarrassing and it sucks to get railroaded like that. But I'm not upset overall. Rodgers is right: This is a young team that is ascending. They'll be better next year for sure - possibly with a worse record because of 1 win regression/injuries etc.. but they'll be competitive in the playoffs for sure.

Get a free agent WR, draft a WR high. OT/ILB/CB depth is needed too. And (this will not be popular) it's time to start looking for Rodgers replacement in 3-4 years. Entirely doable.

Already excited.

La Fleur playcalling was not perfect. That's exactly what I was expecting from a first year headcoach at this stage of the playoffs.

Defense was more concerning because Petine is more experienced.
I was baffled by the inaptitude to adapt to Niners Offensive Game Plan.
That's my main Lame call.

I thought that the only way to win this game against a better team on the road was to win the takeaway battle.
Minus-3 of course didn't make it.

However this team will gain experience from games like this.
The roster is greatly improved compared to the latest versions of TT's draft and miss.
I hope BG will do his best to go maximize the roster for the next 2-3 years and hopefully we can go back to the Superbowl before Rodgers calls it a career.

This season brought me so much pleasure compared to the past 2 years and I am grateful to the coaches and players

Go Pack Go !

Packers won't defeated they were humiliated, no other way to say or see it! Maybe the WR from Canada will make a big difference in that area next year! Might be a good omen and start at improvement on offense at least!

Game ball: Aaron Jones
Lame call: Pettine. This is the product you come up with in the conference championship? Murphy, pink slip him today and don’t let him hang around another 5 years like Dom.

We got beat in the trenches on both sides of the ball. In the second half our offense adjusted with some quick passes to avoid the rush and move the sticks, but the defense continued to get trampled. Run defense was a weak point for the majority of the season, but this was just pitiful. Niners ran the ball right up the gut most of the time with no Packer being able to get off a block and make a tackle.

Looking at whole season this team squeezed a lot more out of itself, than it was really capable. But it looks like there is a big difference between top 3,4 NFL teams and the rest. Rodgers has proved that he can stil be very useful to this team . He even mentioned how much it would mean to him to get another Superbowl and that he wouldnt mind if Gutekunt brought new players. Looking at salary cap it was clear that 2019 spendings dont leave so much space for new additions. Now Aaron must asked himself does he really really wants to reach Superbowl ? In the current NFL cap structure I see one and only way for Rodgers to get to Superbowl with Packers: To somehow cut most of his salary (if at all possible) and use most of it to sign many more quality Free agents.

Obviously, we’re going to have to improve the run defense.

So, let me get this straight: In a game where the QB (yes, two turnovers before the last desperation heave of the game could be properly charged to him) threw the ball very well to his limited targets, the O-line was okay and the D got literally run over repeatedly, the only player called out was (predictably) Aaron Rodgers?!

Are you kidding me?

If you take away the last pick (the game was over and it was a helluva throw...DA lost his footing a little) on an "off-day" when the team was out-manned, he basically three TD passes (Graham's was overturned...and if he could run faster than the 60-yer-old me he was in easily) and one INT with a high completion percentage and YPA...that would've netted him at least a 120 passer rating. But keep blaming #12, who has been the main, if not the only, reason this team has had a ghost of a chance to even get to the postseason for the last decade!

Game Balls:

Adams - Had he been thrown to in the first half he probably would have had 200+ yards receiving.

Jones - He is the focal point of the offense. But they need to get him the ball in space more.

Graham - He has been criticized but he made a big play when they had to have one. He got robbed of a TD. There was no clear view that he wasn't in when his butt hit.

Lame Calls:

The Defense/Mike Pettine - When the opposing QB throws 8 times and you lose. That is what you call an ass whooping. First off, I didn't see any real changes until late in the 2nd half. He ran out the same 3 DL for most of the first half. 2nd half Keke goes in and makes a couple of really good run stops. Why wasn't he in sooner? Goodson was way to slow. We have an ILB who has real speed. Now maybe Burks wouldn't have made a difference but they were killing us on runs to the outside. If Goodson isn't getting it done, make the change.

Rodgers - I don't place all the blame on Rodgers and the offensive performance. But if he played the first half like he did in the 2nd half, we would have been in that game more.

Notes:
It will be interesting to see what happens this offseason.
-Which players will they bring back, and let go.
-Will they make Coaching changes?
-Is Pettine guaranteed to be brought back? One thing very noticeable is that he is slow to react.

In terms of needs I think they have to bring in 2 WR's. Adams, Lazard are safe. I expect they will bring back MVS and EQ. They need at least 2 more guys brought in. They can not trot out with Allison and Kumerow (who I like, but they need an upgrade) anymore. They need to upgrade the position badly! They need speed and guys that can make people miss after the catch!
Depending on what happens at TE, if they keep Graham and bring back Lewis or let both go, they will need a TE.
They will always need better OL depth. I would like to see Bulaga return. Honestly I would love it if they could bring back both Bulaga and Veldheer.
They have to upgrade the DL. After getting gashed they can't just keep using the guys they have. They have to upgrade the run defense.
Regardless of whether or not they bring Martinez back they have to upgrade the ILB position. Hopefully Burks can take a step. But they need to plan on him not and bring in more speed to the position.
I think CB will be higher on the list again, but they might look for more hybrid players. Greene/Campbell could be the guys next year, but they could invest in the position again.

Its going to be really interesting to see what happens this offseason!

I really like the direction this team is going. I can't wait for next year!

Thanks Jason for the Game Balls and Lame Calls article each week!

This is a hard one but Jason got 99% of it right. This team could have easily been 8-8 as well as what there record was. I hope the brainiacs at the top put egos aside and understand that or nothing will be changed.
1. This defense is poor at best. The backs run around like chickens with their heads cut off and that was against a team that passed 8 times. Pettine played prevent the entire game refusing to accept the fact that they didn't have to pass. Bright he ain't. Replace him or expect the same next year, not enough draft picks to fix this.
2. Rodgers needs Adams 2.0. Allison, MVS are too slow, Jimmy is old. Get him some speed to help stretch the field and things improve immensely on Offense.
PS: Dont let Gutt draft again. I said the minute after they drafted Gary, you wouldnt like him, he was a bum and terrible pick at 12. Could have had a game changing LB at that position. Too bad.

I like Mike Pettine but he has now coached himself out of a job in GB!

The Packers exceeded expectations this year. They swept the division, finished 13-3 and made it to the NFC championship. This is all great and all of us should enjoy those accomplishments.
Yesterday's game, well dobber said it right...going against Dallas in the 90s the Packers got the crap kicked out of them until they got better players. This team isn't as young and really need to hit on some of their draft picks. They don't have the cap to do FA shopping again like last year.

Against the 49ers, they lost their composure pretty quickly. You want to know why SF ran so well against them? Their Dline was knocked 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. The OLBs never held the edge....probably not once. Generally speaking SF took advantage of a weak Dline that couldn't stop the run all year. From the offense side, lost that game in the trenches too. But I will say I didn't see any difference in Green Bay's approach from this game to the last one. Rodgers running up the middle when the pass rush wasn't near him might have made them a little more attentive, but he hasn't/shouldn't run like that anymore. Probably why Seattle plays SF so tough is Wilson's scrambles.

So let's see what next year brings and hope the draft gives the Packers starters like SF's rookie LB Greenlaw. Need starters from those middle rounds to contend.

Game ball: Davante Adams. He was clearly our best player on offense yesterday.

Lame Call: Mike Pettine and entire Packers defense. 288 yards rushing is ridiculous at the professional level. From the 49ers side, yesterday's game reminded me of High School football back in the late 60s. In those days most HS teams just ran the ball on every play or almost every play. Obviously that was the 49ers game plan against the Packers and the Packers couldn't do anything about it. It was just Varsity right, varsity left, varsity down your throat etc... Except the 49ers offense played at the professional level and the Packers defense played at a high school level and barely that. They only threw the ball 8 times. In the current era many QBs will throw 8 passes on just one drive, never mind for entire game.

Lame Call: MLFs game plan on offense. At one point Rodgers was 7 for 7 on passes. He ended up going 31 out of 39 with 326 yards for the game. An excellent completion rate, the problem was that the passes weren't going for much yardage because the SF linebackers and CBS were on our receivers immediately and SF defenders made sure tackles without allowing YAC. Credit needs to given to the SF defense for playing faster than our offense. We lost the LOS on both sides of the ball. MLFs game plan did not include enough to offset the 49ers speed on defense, just like Pettine's plan did not do enough to counter the 49ers ground game (obviously).

I had posted earlier that this season's Packers team would go as far as the defense would take them regardless of how well Aaron Rodgers played and I pointed to the last 2 games of the regular season as examples. Yesterday it would not have mattered how well Aaron Rodgers played because our defense could not stop the 49ers ground game and secondly this offense is no longer capable of scoring 37+ points with the current WRs, TEs, and RBs. After Adams and A. Jones we just don't have skill players that an opposing DC needs to worry about.

Tough way for a fun season to end, but it was a heck of a ride and a better season that I expected back when it all began. It's time to get Rodgers some weapons on offense and DLs and ILBs on defense if we want to get to an SB in the next 1-3 seasons. After that it's start all over again with a new QB and hope that we don't return to the Jim Del Gaizo era of GB QBs.
Thanks, Since '61

Thanks Jason for GBLBs column all season. It was a good year record wise, tough year for watching good football. Still it was a good year of progress. Only one team gets to not go home disappointed. Unfortunately, GB got whooped by 10 players and SF didn't even need the QB to get it done.

You sum it up nicely, Gute and the team made a lot of progress. So now the debate begins on how to come back next year and get the job done. More eyes will look to Rodgers and Pettine to answer increased criticism.
Yes, more talent/speed needed at WR, TE, and ILB through top rounds in draft, and perhaps a FA ILB and FA WR. And secondly, keep investing mid-rounders in DL and CB.
GB is close, perhaps 2 stud players away from a top tier (top 6) team. Next year is the year, maybe.

Hard to zero in on the loss;
bad execution?
insufficient talent?
poor game plan?
Defense?
Offense?

SF was clearly a better team, with experience including players and coaches. They were top tier all season long.
Only way for a 2nd tier team to beat them was to punch them hard, in unexpected ways, and take big risks on offense, and play for turnovers. Use trickery, and fake punts, KO laterals. WTH, GB was playing with house money anyway, and no one expected them to go this deep.
The offense had to score, and sustain drives. It was clear even before the game, that GB would not be able to stop SF offense. GB defense might have had a chance if GB offense could sustain drives and score. But, they couldn't and the D got wore out by the end of 1st quarter.
So the game plan was still way too vanilla. A few drives of no huddle fast/quick passes at the beginning could have built some momentum to tire out the SF pass rushers. Heavy 3 TE packages, and slip TEs out for dump off passes. Slip TEs into 5 receiver sets to confuse SF defense. More screens and fake screens.

The SB will be 2 very deserving, fast and athletic teams. It will be a colorful field, Red vs Red
O well.

So this is what LOSING ugly looks like.....on to next year. Go Pack!

lot of blame to go around. we were slower at every position, but what we are seeing is the result of TT's braindead final 5 years of drafting. wasted high picks on the likes of M Adams, Oren Burks, Datone Jones, to say nothing of the dbacks no longer on the team. there is a lot of work to be done, but we were quite simply outmanned as well as outcoached and that was obvious.

The Packers stopped the 49ers after the opening kickoff and got the punt. Then Rodgers has a third and 3 for a first down and throws a sideways 1 yard completion instead of a pass to Graham open 6 yards downfield. GB then has to punt without getting a first strike TD in their most important game.

Rodgers could have got the lead in that game, instead he throws dink and dunk passes and not vertical down field ones until the third quarter. You can’t be paying a QB 35 million and be behind 27-0 at halftime. Amazingly, so many still talk only about other players being a problem and not the obvious one playing the key position to the offense.
And for the record, he did say he was going to prove to SF what they missed by not drafting him; so he was motivated. Stats show Rodgers is 1-3 in the NFC championship games.
Time to move on or the Packers will waste 3-4 more years of futility with Rodgers losing big games with multiple turnovers and no scoring in the whole first half of games.
Only when the Packers get a new QB, like Tim Boyle, will the team have the money to buy the skilled players to build a stout defense that can compete with a team like SF. Right now, Rodgers, as he ages will continue to weigh this team down and do what he always does against good playoff teams...loose the games.

Extremely Lame: Mahomes has the best tight end in football, two wide receivers that would be #1s on any team, two very good running backs and a top ten defense. But idiots on here expect Rodgers to carry the team with 1 top wide receiver, 1 running back and a piss poor defense. If he doesn't, he is trash to so called fans.

Lame call has to go to Lafleur not going for it on 4th down on the first drive. Reminded me of McCarthy honestly with a no fire team and not taking a chance in a game this big.

Hard to comprehend Packers run defense. They stayed with the 3 man front even thought they were getting their jocks handed to them, or as Aikman said, "losing their manhood". George Kittle is the best blocking TE in the league, just ask ZD. Kittle totally neutralized him. Why not try something radical, like the old 4-3 defense, adding a down lineman. Hard to comprehend the size of holes SF back were running through, especially in the NFC championship game! LaFluer is a great coach and very level headed and understated in his press conference assessments, win or lose. But his tone suggests action will be taken.... I will be surprised, and disappointed if Pettine is back next year.

The Packers are several years away from actually competing for a Super Bowl. Too many holes to fill in one offseason and a QUESTIONABLE Defensive Coordinator and scheme.

‘‘Twas a fun season of over achieving though and all in the Packers organization should be commended for that!

B+ Season

Go Pack!

I am going a different direction. Players who have not played up to expectations all season.

Geronimo- No help as a number 2, M. Adams-best camp player?, Owen Burks-Can not make the field, MVS-Did Rodgers cut him, Vitale-camp dominant, Grant-why on roster never played, Fackrell-1 sack from 10 the year before(Smiths replaced him), JK Scott-Needs to just boom it, lift some weights, Tonyan-he has not taken a step up.

Future Within the Roster: TE: Sternberger, Baylis, Looney, Tonyan, Draft, FA OL: Light, Patrick, Nijman, Madison, Spriggs, Conway,Draft LB: Ramsey, Willams, Bolton, Roberts, Goodson Draft, FA WR: ESB, Shepard, Taylor, Begelton, MVS, Kumerow, Lazard,Grant (only Adams locked), Draft RB: Johnson, Vitale, Ervin, Willams, Draft DL: Keke, Adams, Lancaster, Draft and FA Kicker: Draft if one is out there, Punter FA need competition
QB: Draft or FA for competition Entire team needs to condition more, speed work, strength and work on physical play.

Consider trading next years 1st or 2nd Round Picks to move up. Rodgers window is three years, so you have to draft a QB in two years. Go all in for two to three year run. After that the team is going to trade players and lower salary cap and be at the bottom of the barrel for three years unless they find the next Rodgers.

This off season will determine the fate of AR's last few years in the league and the Packer's ability to compete at the highest level in the NFL. Right now there is a sizable gap and a lot will have to be improved upon before next season or we can probably expect more of the same until the next 'leader of the Pack' comes on-line.

Jason,

You were pretty hard on the Packers who lost to a team which for the past decade spent their time at or near the top of the draft class building a team with top choice first and second round choices, while the Packers were at the other end of the spectrum. The draft order was designed to be the talent equalizer and even the Great Packers and Patriots have felt the devastating effects of having premium talent year after year being plucked before they get a chance to select a player. While I am disappointed and hoped for a return to the Super Bowl, our first year head coach and aging quarterback did the very best they could. I appreciate the efforts and accomplishments of the entire Packer organization and players to have essentially given us a top notch product on and off the field for almost three decades hand running.

MLF came in to Green Bay with a solid philosophy, but he was unable to successfully translate that onto the field. There are signs of early success, but the week-in and week-out 'half game' performances show a lack of ability to make it work on game day. This alone will make this team so much better. Will be an interesting off season, one I'm sure all of us will be watching closely. Any thoughts on deals that Gute can make before the draft and who we should re-sign and who we should let go?

Hope Pettine doesn't become Capers 2.0 and continues to hang around because the head coach doesn't have the balls to get rid of him. Gute and MLF need to make the not so tough call and let him go. This game was an embarrassment and not a one-off. 50-0 in the two first halves of the Niner games. 50-0!!! Gave up almost 300 yards rushing in a Championship game! Is there anyone on this board who doesn't think he could have done better? It's almost impossible to do worse. The Niners just walked up the field as if no one was there. You can't, you should not, you mustn't return Pettine. He should be fired today. And if Gute doesn't improve the ILB, WR, TE positions and the general overall speed of this team in the coming year, considerably, he should be let go next year. The Niners drafted high for a number of years, but they made those picks count. We finally had a high pick, even two picks in the 1st round, and Gute went with Gary. That failure is as bad as Pettine's miserable performance in this game. They should both be on the hot seat, regardless of the 13-3 record. They simply didn't do their jobs well enough. In two years Gute's big successes are the Smith's and Amos in free agency and Jaire, Jenkins, and Savage in the drafts. That's not good enough. He left too many holes that he could have filled had he been more aware of the obvious needs. We were 13-3 but sometimes you really aren't what your record says you are.

LAME CALL: The defense for being gashed all day and the offense for playing poorly, led by QB1.

SECOND LAME CALL: Anyone who cannot assign equal blame to both sides of the ball and to QB1 because they are blind optimists. PERIOD.

Now, for the interesting reflection on these lame calls and this embarrassing beat down, regarding QB1 performance, see below what CHTV readers said and ask yourself after reading their comments, are their comments more likely TRUE or FALSE?

“…A pick, fumble, a sack (who holds the ball against SF???) and throwing to the covered guy when the TE was wide open. That pass to Williams was massive mental error by panicked old QB….” TRUE OR FALSE?

“…Aaron Rodgers has morphed into a scared old man who won’t throw the ball unless a guys is wide open…” TRUE OR FALSE?

“…I see everyone is going to put this on the defense which admittedly was very poor, but how many times do you expect them to hold the hell up against one of, if not the best running teams in the NFL when the offense can't get off more than 6 plays per drive in the first half. Interceptions, false starts, butt fumbles and such. Yeah, put it all on the defense and justify Rodgers 35 million cap hit. He missed open receivers for first downs on the first two drives, butt fumbled and threw an int on two others in first half while holding the ball ALL DAY again. His job at this point is to go out and not make rookie blunders not enact them….” TRUE OR FALSE?

“…Rodgers sucked....again. should see if anyone would give them a 7th round pick for him and get rid of that monster salary and his bad attitude….” TRUE OR FALSE?

“…And if you think Rodgers didn't contribute heavily to this loss you're a damn idiot. Let's start with holding the ball all day and taking sacks, butt fumbles and interceptions. You're lucky Shanahan and Saleh were the 49er coaches because they took their foot off of GB's neck and played run on offense and prevent on defense the entire second half. If they had gassed it it could've easily been 50 something to 7. No way were they going to humiliate their boy LaFluer like that. Rodgers ran his numbers up on pure garbage prevent defense that actually LET the Packers score as long as they took time off the clock. Rodgers is no longer Elite and no more than a second tier QB at best….” TRUE OR FALSE?

“…Rodgers will never be in a super bowl again unless he buys a ticket. He is done. Toast. His throws are often behind receivers. He holds the ball to long and he is a head case diva. Time for the train to leave the station for him. Time to draft a quarterback….” TRUE OR FALSE?

I really do believe Javon Hargrave could be the answer the Packers need on that dline next to KC I heard someone say Chris Jones but with the numbers he put up the last 3 years in sacks he'd for sure be waaayyyy too pricey besides he's pretty weak against the run. Hargrave gives the Packers the perfect balance of run stuffer and pass rusher and he probably won't break the bank. If they want to improve on play making from the LB position they should go after Joe Schobert he adds to the defense while also being available missing only 3 games in his for year career and he's from Wisconsin and was in the same draft Blake was in.

Well, perhaps the best thing to say at first about the Packers is that we overachieved this season.
Perhaps the best thing to say next is that it's good to see starkly how far we have to go.
First of all, the 49ers are great -- but it's hard to stomach a botched snap under center, a shanked punt, and a dropped kickoff, then a crushing interception right before the half.
It's hard not to overreact after such a thumping, so the following words are put out there cautiously, even questioningly.
(1) Aaron Rodgers to the Los Angeles Chargers , or the Las Vegas Raiders, or to a contending team that thinks he can make a difference?
Hard to think this way, but maybe a change would be good for our QB and for us.
Rodgers still has some considerable skills, but did not play this season in keeping with his salary. Perhaps that money would be better used at other positions.
Possibly, Rodgers would be reenergized on another team; possibly, a guy like Derek Carr or Phillip Rivers would be reenergized with the Packers. (Rivers would allow for a young QB to develop, while giving us an opportunity to win now.)
Anyway, it may be time for a dramatic, difficult decision at QB.
(2) Mike Pettine replaced?
Again, hard to think this way, but has there ever been such an embarrassing steamrolling of a defense in recent memory? For much of the season, it seems the defense was by turns gashed by running backs and shredded by receivers -- while not making timely adjustments.
***
Perhaps I'm suffering a kind of traumatic shock, but it may be time for some bold moves.
It's a great risk -- but can we as fans emotionally endure another season of Aaron Rodgers as enigma, and our defense as a baffling mixture of so good yet so bad?
The status quo may be hazardous to our health.

As many of you guys said, San Fran is just a better team period. That’s why they dominated us twice this year. I can’t imagine any other NFC Team doing much better against San Fran yesterday. Their offensive line was incredible and just pushed us around. Not to mention their defense.......strong, fast and aggressive.

Going 14-4 was totally unexpected this year and for me, I am thankful for such a good first season for our coach. Now he knows the talent and what is needed in the off season. Can’t wait until the draft and free agency!!

This game isn’t really anybody’s fault. The 49ers just have a lot more talent from sucking for so long and high draft picks. The only lame call really is a classless Richard Sherman. What a dick.

This column should be called Perone’s Disease. The OL pushed back, pushed around, receivers aren’t quick enough to get open early and Rodgers ends up being your punching bag.
WTF? Don’t let the door hit you on the ass, Jason.

There are some unintelligent posters here making ridiculous comments ,if not for the fumble on the snap Which came on a scoring drive this is a whole different game and of course if the defense was able to make some 3 rd down stops which they did not. Gary will be a force, he is young and raw going up against seasoned O lineman, watch him next year, I think Pettine is gone , someone here said the Packers are 3 years away from contending , that is a dumb statement, they just finished 2 Nd best in the NFC. I played D1 football as a linebacker and coached high school for a few years , it’s not that hard to stop the run but it seems it is for Pettine.

OFF-SEASON PLAN - Go get Hooper (TE) from ATL in FA. Ditto AJ Green. Draft Tee Higgins (WR), Clemson, in RD1. That should give 12 the weapons he needs/deserves. Jace Sternberger should have a big year next year. Dump J Graham and his ridiculous salary. On defense, go get a new pair of starting ILBs and keep swinging at DL.

My big Q coming into this game was could we slow down their run game. Despite losing Coleman early and Breita doing not much, the answer was resounding no. 1500 clams on the 9rs at -7.5 kept day from being a total waste.

I am a big Pettine fan but this game opened my eyes to the shortcoming on scheming to stop the pass at the expense of the run. Why did Gary play only 3 snaps when stopping the run is his forte? Made no sense. I still say they should have played him next to MArtinez in base def all year. If they fire Pettine I will not be surprised. Probably will depend if there is somebody they really want who is still available.

Internet rumors are a bitcoin a dozen. Mike Pettine is not going anywhere, unless he gets a head coach offer. Pettine played a weak hand well all season. Out coached no. Out personnel yes. Pettine did not have the personnel to make the on field adjustments work. It's just that simple. And that's been clear since before the beginning of this season. Bitter loss, but lets be clear we all knew the weakness of this roster before this game. By that lights Jason Perone might as well start a rumor that MLF is getting the axe over his mishandling of the offense. Right. Fat . Chance. Young rebuilding teams get out personnel. That's how you lose in pro sports. We all know how this plays out. Draft. Develop. Get good or lucky in free agency. And hope some of your free agents take a home town discount. That's the way it is. It's all up to GM Gute now. We'll see how this play out....

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, (OK, I do) but I think a bit of this loss can still be put on TT.
His utter ineptitude for the 2-4 drafts and his complete ignorance of free agency before he was put to pasture were pitiful and did little to build this roster.
We still haven't solved our WR, D backfield, or LB problems. STILL! Years of head-in-the-sand-TT put us into this rebuild mode.
We aren't a long way from a SB appearance. Those 3-4 quality draft picks/FA aquisitions may have had us more up to par with SF yesterday.

Game ball: Vince Lombardi, I mean Kyle Shanahan. Run your best ten to twelve plays with perfect execution and see if the other team can beat you.
Lame calls, I was brutally hard on Jimmy Graham this season and will not miss him next year. But he got screwed. No ranting or raving from joe or troy if that call had gone against kittle or jason witten. Hardly a word. Their ref expert failed with a lame attempt at supporting the call. No difference in the game, but wow!

Last night was embarrassing, but I am still hopeful as ever for this team. We are 3-4 players away from competing with the 49ers: get a run stuffing DT, upgrade at ILB, sign a veteran WR and spend a 1st or 2nd rounder on a WR. This all assumes we re-sign Bulaga and Martinez leaves.

1st half:
The Packers got outcoached and outplayed last night. I don't care if it's pee wee, high school or college, if you're down 27-0 at the half, you've buried yourself in a massive, massive hole. Is it impossible to dig out of? No. But your odds are pretty bad.

Rodgers saved his worst game for last. He cannot lose those fumbles or throw that pick.

2nd half:
We actually competed with pride. The coaches actually made adjustments. We outscored them 20-10. We actually decided to use Davante Adams. Started to actually throw down the field a little more and take some shots. We actually held up better against the run in the 1st half vs. the 2nd half.

generally better to WATCH the game before putting blogs up.

Adams was pathetic in the first half when the game was there. He got some stat padding in garbage time.
This pretend we have talent where and why the packer's don't is a big part of the unmet expectation and disappointment.

In the 1st half Adams was taken away as an afterthought. Adams had nothing and worse the coaching staff appeared completely unprepared for Adams to be followed for a few plays.

I couldn't talk to anyone last night because of my disappointment with the poor showing. I needed a day to get some perspective and to stay clear of the angry statements. There are a couple of bottom-lines from this game and season:

The 2019-20 Packers overachieved
The 49er's game(s) are not about Pettine or even Rodgers. This game represents the talent gap between these two teams.

Give our guys A for effort this year and this game but a roster full of UDFA and low round draft choices got out-talented by a well stocked, better roster. Two examples:

DLine play - other than Kenny Clark (and the Smiths as OLB) we don't have the talent to play against the better Olines and running backs in this league. I love that Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster came from nothing but they got pushed aside and run over. This is a straight talent gap.

WR play: after Davante Adams, the rest of the receiving corps are UDFA or 5+ rounders. Are we surprised that Geronimo Allison can't get separation against Richard Sherman? Aaron Rodgers can still throw the ball but he has one true target and still no TE play.

Don't get mad at a group of men who tried hard to beat a well coached team with very good players. Feel good that we even got this far with a lacking roster.

A lot of posters said this team was 2 or 3 players away from being a contender this year. Yesterday proved it. We need a TE, #2 WR, and one more play maker on defense. WTH we made it farther than 28 other teams. The 2 best teams are in the SB, wait til next year, lol

What would you guys think if we signed AJ Green to an incentive laden, 1 year prove it deal, as well as spend a 1st or 2nd rd pick on a WR? I think that'd transform our WR corps in no time. I think Green still has something left in the tank, even if he's not an elite No. 1 anymore. he wouldn't have to be with Adams around catching balls.

Good season......
Obviously lacking talent on the DL and at LB but I am sooooo glad that McCarthy and his hapless staff are gone and now in Dallas.(snicker)