Much to the delight of a still-reeling Packers defense, the version of the San Francisco 49ers they’ll face on Thursday is barely reminiscent of the team that gouged Green Bay for 6.8 yards per carry and 285 total rushing yards in the NFC Championship a year ago, with a game plan so devastating that Jimmy Garoppolo only needed to attempt eight passes.
Injuries have gutted the 49ers’ Super Bowl-caliber roster in 2020, though not in the we’ll be back next year once everyone gets healthy kind of way. Kyle Shanahan is running one of the most desirable schemes in football, an offense that has contemporary tentacles in Green Bay, Tennessee and Los Angeles with plenty of less effective knockoffs elsewhere.