Postgame Reaction to the 49ers Ousting the Packers

Sometimes the San Francisco 49ers don't get the respect they deserve. Pundits point to their sometimes pedestrian quarterback play and dismiss them from the top-tier teams in the league. Beating the Packers in Green Bay was the ultimate respect game. And the way the 49ers handled them can't be ignored. San Francisco held Aaron Rodgers to just 6.9 yards per attempt (a stat that does not factor in the yards lost from the three sacks). In Rodgers' 15 regular season starts in 2011, he had at least 7.8 YPA in all but one game. To put it simply, the 49ers made Rodgers look average, which doesn't happen too often. In comparison, Alex Smith averaged 8.1 YPA. Add in 182 rushing yards, including 112 yards on 16 carries by Frank Gore, and the 49ers offense was in full control. Nothing about this game was particularly shocking. But even the most confident of 49ers fans must have been concerned about Green Bay's receivers getting behind safeties Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson. I know I was. But Rodgers hardly tested the back end of the secondary, and when he did, Whitner, Goldson and the 49ers cornerbacks were in perfect position.