49ers start 3-game gauntlet with 37-8 win over Packers

A strip sack on the opening drive that set up a touchdown got the San Francisco 49ers off to a rousing start to a grueling three-game stretch.

A near flawless performance by Jimmy Garoppolo and a dominant performance by the defense finished off Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Garoppolo threw two long touchdown passes and the San Francisco harassed Rodgers into one of the worst performances of his brilliant career, leading the 49ers to a 37-8 victory over the Packers on Sunday in the first of three straight games against first-place teams.

“Apparently nobody has to play us. We just have to play everybody. We’re just the punching bag people come punch on,” said cornerback Richard Sherman, clearly piqued by the talk of how difficult San Francisco’s upcoming opponents are.

“We don’t worry about the outside noise. We understand what kind of team we have and we don’t worry about the opponent because you can’t control what they do.”

Garoppolo connected on a 42-yard touchdown strike to Deebo Samuel in the second quarter and a 61-yarder to George Kittle in the third to start this stretch for San Francisco (10-1) off on a high note.

Following this game against the first-place Packers (8-3), the Niners will travel to Baltimore (8-2) and New Orleans (9-2) the next two weeks in a stretch that will go a long way to determining whether San Francisco will be able to hold off Seattle (9-2) in a tight NFC West race.

“We crave every single game,” defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. “Every week is a new challenge. The good thing about this team is we don’t get scared of who our next opponent is or ‘Oh this team is supposed to be a top team.’ It’s just another team. We know how good we are. We just have to show it every chance we get.”

Rodgers lost a fumble on the opening drive one of the five sacks he took and failed to convert a single third down on 13 tries before getting pulled late in the fourth quarter. He finished 20 for 33 for 104 yards and Green Bay averaged an anemic 1.7 yards per pass play when he was in the game……..read more

 

Source: AP News

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