Shop on Amazon to support this writer

The San Francisco 49ers couldn't have asked for a much better start during their Week 12 Sunday Night Football bout against the Green Bay Packers. In a game with significant playoff implications, the Niners could either hold onto the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC or fall all the way to No. 5 with a Packers win.

And after two quarters of play, the 49ers hold a 23-0 lead.

San Francisco started off on defense. And while Green Bay managed to pick up a first down, wide receiver Davante Adams was hit with a 15-yard taunting penalty, which pushed quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Co. backwards. Shortly thereafter, linebacker Fred Warner sacked Rodgers and helped force the ball loose. EDGE Nick Bosa recovered the ball and returned it to the Packers' 2-yard line:


Running back Tevin Coleman punched it in a play later to put the Niners up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

The Packers went 3-and-out on their following drive, which was followed by San Francisco having to punt, too, after its second offensive drive was nearly derailed by a fumble from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Coleman managed to recover it, yet the Niners wouldn't get a first down after the near turnover.

But the Niners defense remained stout early, and that led to another scoring drive late in the first quarter to put San Francisco up 10-0.

The Packers started off on offense at the beginning of the second quarter, which managed to move into Niners territory for the first time in the game. But on a 4th-and-1 play, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur elected to go for it with a run play by running back Aaron Jones, which went for no gain:


San Francisco's drive went backwards, however, forcing a booming 52-yard punt by punter Mitch Wishnowsky and an excellent special teams tackle by Raheem Mostert to force Green Bay to start at its own 34-yard line. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead managed to sack Rodgers, which created a 3rd-and-34 for the Packers. But they would convert after defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was called for a lowering-the-helmet penalty. Yet the Niners defense still held, forcing a punt, giving Garoppolo and Co. an extra chance to try stringing some plays together before halftime.

Garoppolo and the offense were able to get down into the red zone, thanks to two key plays to tight end George Kittle. But the drive fizzled out, leading to another field goal from kicker Chase McLaughlin to make it 13-0 with 2:49 remaining in the half. But the Packers subsequently went 3-and-out, giving the 49ers another chance to score with one timeout and just under two minutes remaining in the first half.

Garoppolo was 10-of-16 for 143 yards in the first half, and his most impressive throw was the 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel with 58 seconds remaining to make the score 19-0:


Rodgers, meanwhile, was 10-of-20 for 41 yards and a passer rating of 56.2 over the first half. And his two-minute attempt went 3-and-out, which turned into three more points for San Francisco after getting the ball back with just enough time before the first half expired.

And the Niners start back on offense in the third quarter.
  • Peter Panacy
  • Written by:
    Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.