Packers further strengthen playoff positioning with win over frequent-foe San Francisco

“That’s a really good football team and they were down a lot of pieces,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. “That’s the reality of this League. For us, you gotta take advantage of those opportunities when you do it.”

Green Bay took down San Francisco 38-10 on Sunday. The 49ers were down-starting QB Brock Purdy, revered offensive tackle Trent Williams and top pass rusher Nick Bosa. However, the Packers are happy to get a win over the team that knocked them out of the postseason a year ago, regardless of who was on the field.

“Coming off the playoff loss last year, we wanted to see the guys,” said quarterback Jordan Love. “They had a couple injuries, things like that, but it feels good and any win feels good.”

“After getting that first one it just feels like the seal is broken and there’s blood in the water,” said safety Evan Williams. “Now, we’re just all trying to get that next one. That’s kind of what it was like today.”

The Packers now sit at 8-3 on the season, well-within the top seven seeds of the NFC playoff chase. However, they still sit third in the NFC North, trailing a 10-1 Detroit team and a 9-2 Minnesota team. That’s why it’s all the more important to keep stacking wins, beginning with a game coming up right away on Thanksgiving night against Miami.

“You definitely say like, ‘Oh this is the big one,’” said Williams, “but at the same time we got a game in four days that we can’t hang our hats on this one and not look to the next one.”