Week 9 of Thursday Night Football features the Green Bay Packers (5-2, 3-1 away) against the San Francisco 49ers (4-4, 1-3 home). Both teams will have players out due to COVID-19, with the 49ers adding four to the list a day before the game.
This will be a rematch of last season’s NFC title game that the 49ers won 37-20. Kickoff is at 8:20 pm ET at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The Green Bay Packers are a seven-point favorite in this NFC matchup, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – Green Bay Packers
The Packers enter the short week after a 28-22 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay remained atop the NFC North standings after a Chicago Bears loss Sunday night.
Aaron Rogers threw the ball well on Sunday, passing for 291 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The veteran has tallied another solid season midway through, throwing for 1,948 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just two picks through seven games.
Green Bay will be without back-up running backs AJ Dillion and Jamaal Williams, landing on the COVID list. Starting running back Aaron Jones, who has not suited up since Week 6, is listed as a game-time decision for the Packers.
Wide receiver Davante Adams has caught five touchdown passes in the last two games to along with 20 receptions for 249 yards. Adams has practically been unstoppable this season outside of two weeks of absence with a hamstring injury.
What to Know – San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco’s play has been as inconsistent as their quarterbacks this season after suffering a ten-point (37-27) loss to the Seattle Seahawks that wasn’t as close as the final score shows. The loss dropped the 49ers to last in a tough NFC West division that includes three other teams with winning records.
Jimmy Garoppolo was out, then he came back, and now he is out again for San Francisco and this time until at least mid-December. Nick Mullens stepped in on Sunday and played well, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns in an unsuccessful comeback attempt.
Expect JaMycal Hasty and Jerick McKinnon to get the lion’s share of carries out of the backfield for the 49ers with starter Raheem Mostert out indefinitely and Tevin Colemen labeled as questionable. Hasty rushed 12 times for 29 yards and one touchdown last week against Seattle.
Another blow to the 49ers was the news that star tight end George Kittle would be sidelined for an extended period of time with a foot fracture. Additionally, SF will be without their other top three pass catchers with Deebo Samuel (injury), Kendrick Borne (COVID), and Brandon Aiyuk (COVID) all ruled out for Thursday.
The Pick is In
Green Bay’s defense has been suspect all season, but the Packers catch a break Thursday night with a banged-up San Francisco offense. San Francisco’s offense has been decimated by injuries this season, but the defense will also be without Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman on Thursday.
All of this is in addition to the fact that the Niners thumped the Packers in the title game last season, so Green Bay is out for revenge. This one could get ugly.
The Pick – Green Bay -7
