Al you brought out very good points. MLF needs to bring you in for consultation instead of his buddy.

Last week I predicted McKinney would have an interception and that did not happen. I predicted the Packers would cover but that did not happen. I have not been keeping track but I believe I am around 50% maybe slightly above on the season. Sorry to say I see the Niners winning and covering this week. I could get another one wrong.

I’m at the point with this team where I have stopped expecting them to turn it on and blow people out. There are too many mistakes. No answers from the front 4. Quay just sucks.

I do not expect to win next week, if I’m being honest.

Always disappointing to read a laundry list of complaints after a big win, but that's the world we live in.

I think the Bears game plan worked because Caleb Williams is really talented. It was a good use of his skills. And in spite of the Bears running the plan nearly to perfection, they only scored 19 points and lost the game. The Packers absorbed their best shot and still managed to squeak out a win.

I don't think the Bears have found a template for beating the Packers. This defense has done a good job of containing mobile QBs, so I think this game was an exception. I am hopeful that the Bears will give the Vikings defense a run for its money on Sunday.

"Hafley was uncharacteristically slow to adjust to Caleb Williams making big plays with his legs." Look out for Brock!

I'm hoping they'll play these guys like they did AZ. or the Texans. Need to finally show the 9ers how unpleasant it is to play at Lambo.

I pray for the health of our starting O-line. They've been doing great and are starting to really jell together. With the 2024 #1 pick and 1st backup or rotation player on IR I sure don't want them to have to test the depth with the teams coming up in the stretch run.

Al, I think you and others are to hard on Walker.
He was removed in game 7 with a concussion.
More LBs are having to use their arms to tackle.
Because RBs know when to spin.
And as much as you don't see him use his shoulder.
How many go out with shoulder injuries.
We've seen others in this last game, take poor angels.
Xavier had a bad game too.
And look at all the bitching about the Trench.
Walker is in on most tackling ,per stats.
And I feel he is too respected among his teammates.
To bench. I prefer we carry on with him.

Sign up to all your points.
This game was a real nailbiter and my mood after the run play call on the 2pt conversion was really down.
Getting worse wih the 3 and 19 resurrection of Berry Defense, to a completely unexpected happy end (best surprise turning point since Matrix).
Watson was fantastic, Jordan seems to get there and also Gary showed signs of live.
A lot to work on, but there is hope...

Walker at this point is a bust, trailer rather hauler. Van Ness I think needs to be benched and be rotational, he is also at this time a bust. Give someone else a chance like Amos.

I agree with you Al on Christian Watson.

I have not seen any comments this year on Watson's hammy issues. I think UW did a fantastic job in analyzing what caused the hamstring issue and getting it corrected.

I am hopeful that this issue is behind him, no pun intended, and also hopeful my commenting on this will not jinx him.

In other news, I see that the Jets have fired their general manager. This after they already fired their head coach. And posted a 3-8 record, with more losses to come.

Remember when that one dude said that Gutey was stupid for trading away Aaron Rodgers for a second round pick? What was that dude's name again? "Holdstocker" or something?

LOL. Ah, good times...

Just did a quick year-to-year comparison of the Packers defensive rankings from 2023 to 2024 year-to-date (10 games).

2023 2024
Points/game #10 #10
Total yards/game #17 #12
Rush yards/game #28 #14
Pass yards/game #9 #13

No significant improvement in the most important category - points per game but a much more balanced defense in run versus pass. Not sure why the big change in run defense other than scheme as the personnel really didn't change. Pass defense is worse despite better safeties.

Edit: Sorry about the spacing on the graph. It compresses when posted. First column is 2023 rankings and second column is 2024.

The one thing SF can't take from the Bears' game plan is the QB runs. Purdy can run on occasion, but he's not nearly as athletic as Williams and is nursing a sore shoulder already. I admit CMC scares the crap out of me though. GB needs to limit the damage, because he will be that guy that converts the unlikely 3rd down.

Way to sock it to us, Al. Now I'm imagining Quay riding a tricycle in tight circles before falling over a' la Artie Johnson. I'm afraid he's a lost cause.

The 49ers are banged up, but they are very much alive in their shitty division and have a lot to play for. So do we. I like our chances in this game.

The good news:

"Only one dropped pass and three penalties (and two of those were absolutely not penalties)."
This is something that really hasn't been talked about much. But this was a huge improvement.
Though the 1 drop was on 3rd down and stopped a drive.

'Jordan Love looked more like his old self. If anyone underestimated the effect his injuries had on his play, you saw the difference with a healthy Jordan Love on Sunday.'
Getting Love back to his healthy self and having him moving around and slinging the ball down the field changes everything for the offense. They moved the ball down the field every drive but 1. And that 1 was a dropped 3rd down.

"Christain Watson showed why he needs to be the focal point of the passing game."
Watson is the one player that can flip a game. He has the height, the speed and the ability to beat a double team. They need to get him the ball way more then what they have been. Now that being said they need to find ways to get Reed and Kraft the ball as well.

The bad news:

"The Bears new OC did a fantastic job in drawing up a blueprint on how to best attack the Packers."
You could tell that what the Bears did, the defense didn't expect. The defense is still a bit of a work in progress.

"The 49ers will be fighting to save their season. Green Bay better be ready for it."
They will be. And they have had our number for a long time. Its time to change that though!

While His Darkness used to brag about owning the Bears, Kyle Shanahan has a legit claim about owning the Packers. San Fran is not the team of past years but they still have enough firepower that if the defense comes out flat SF could easily win. Jordan Love will need all his resources to have enough offense to keep up with SF.

BTW-The national sports media dopes(many reside at ESPN) have finally recognized that the Detroit Lions have a good football team. Anyone truly looking at the league the past two years would already have known this but the 'experts' at ESPN showed some highlights today about how good the Lions have become. Shocker! Since both New York teams are awful, I suppose they had to look at other teams.

On rewatching this game, the player who unexpectedly stood out was Carrington Valentine. He actually played far better than I realized. He was clearly the best CB out there (after Jaire went off—before which he was looking pretty good). Valentine needs to be the starter opposite Jaire. It’s not even close.

Stokes looks to me like a man whose injury has taken away his confidence in his body. I agree he’s just not going all out. For a guy whose real ability was the use of physicality and length at the catch point, that’s pretty terminal. Sadly though, Nixon outside is just as bad one the throws start going around 10 yards deep. He’s just not aware with his back to the QB, or agile enough. Keeping him on the field when Bullard is in the slot and we aren’t playing a non passing QB is not viable. I’m ready to see Rochell as the third man up outside.

There is no need to add to what you wrote about Walker, let’s just say I’m a convert to the time bing over for him as the MIKE. Wilson has outplayed him consistently, despite the claimed physical limitations some cite. If it works, question the assumptions not the results. I would like to see Walker tried away from the Mike and dot, to see if that freed him up to be more instinctive.

I am starting to worry about Hafley’s personnel decision making. More so even than his failures to anticipate the pretty telegraphed changes to what the Bears were going to try to do or adjust to, let’s be honest, something we’ve seen fairly similar analogs to already this season and handled relatively well. As Dobber said yesterday, he seemed to be defending as if no change of OC or philosophy occurred. He was still doing that well into the game. Thats not been an issue previously.

Unfortunately, questionable personnel loyalties and inflexibility have been and have been under LaFleur. We need to stop it and fast, this far into the season. LaFleur least used Watson over Wicks. Perhaps that will give Hafley the confidence to do the same with Wilson over Walker and Valentine over Nixon? LVN might need further bench time too if Cox can continue to show up.

The second player who was noticeably better was Gary. Not spectacular in the stat sheet sense, but a handful all day. Gary was partly responsible for the Slaton sack. However, Slaton finally showed his burst. I’d like to see more of that from him. I’d like to see it at all from Clark.

I am starting to wonder if that toe injury isn’t much more debilitating for Clark than people think. Toe problems for rushers can be much more impactful than they sound to those who haven’t played through one. If so, we may need to rest him. I’d consider elevating Ford and trying to give Clark a better chance to get Healthy. Gary needs help. If he’d played the game he did in Sunday with anything much coming from the rest of the front, I think the results could have been spectacular.

Finally, Emmanuel Wilson. He comes in and gets 13 yards on his first rush—the longest on the first drive . He gets one more carry. He’s out snapped by Brooks, despite having done more on those short catch and run passes. Brooks also missed a key block in protection. I don’t understand the favoring of Brooks. It’s very odd when LaFleur is typically very reluctant to change pecking orders.

Credit where credit is due- anybody else impressed with the bears screen game? Their running back was patient. He used his blockers as shields, juked to force a defensive player to commit, then juked back to the opposite side preventing a tackle. Watching those plays live; this is what a screen play should be...

I was very hopeful the 4-3 Pack Attack D would highlight the size, speed and athleticism of Q. Walker. Surprisingly, it has made all of his talent shrink.

If Hafley has any courage, he will bench Walker and start Wilson and keep him on the field with Cooper. McDuffie and maybe some snaps from Hopper when playing base.

Hafley need not make wholesale changes but he must put the best players on the field to execute his pressure defense.

He knows Walker is not going to suddenly become a dominant LB. It's year 3 and he's a back up talent/spot player. Hafley had the courage to end the Stokes post injury reclamation project . Bench Walker. Maybe it will wake up Kenny, Van Ness from their slumber and encourage Alexander to start pulling the wagon vs riding on it.

"Christain Watson showed why he needs to be the focal point of the passing game."

Fair enough. But the thing that no one seems to want to say about this year's Packers team is that the entire receiver room has been a bit of a dud. (Anyone seen Wicks lately? Melton?) Granted, some expectations were unrealistic. But it's debatable if any Packer receiver has lived up to reasonable expectations, and I definitely wouldn't say that any have surpassed them. I think Tucker Kraft has, if you want to include tight ends, but even that is partly due to the absence of Musgrave. Maybe Reed... ?

I get it that we had Malik Willis for 2.5 games, and that makes a difference. Still, the receiver room has been a disappointment. Not a huge one, but a disappointment nonetheless.

I just wonder which receiver will be the lucky one this week to get all the throws? Maybe its me but Love really hasnt been looking at his progressions that much and is more focuses on watching one guy run his route and timing when the guy might be open.
Ya defenses will pick up on this in the film room and spend more time looking at his eyes and I see more interceptions coming his way.
Reed, Dobbs, Kraft went missing in last week game and unless I'm wrong they played too.
These guys wont like running around not being part of the game plan. Thus, lot more drops as they arent ready for a ball to come there way.
I still say Love will be a disappointment going forward to many.