Packers' LaFleur details challenges 49ers present in playoff clash
Packers' LaFleur details challenges 49ers present in playoff clash originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers have built a juggernaut that presents many challenges for their opponents.
The Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur are the latest to face the daunting task of slowing down the 49ers' high-flying offense when Green Bay and San Fransico square off in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday night at Levi's Stadium.
LaFleur highlighted San Francisco's ability to keep defenses off balance as a primary concern heading into Saturday's showdown, citing the necessity for Green Bay to disrupt the rhythm the 49ers' offense has established.
"Well, they got many challenges," LaFleur told reporters Wednesday. "First of all, you know how much respect I have for just their overall scheme; they do a great job of mixing and keeping you off balance in terms of their ability to run the football. Obviously, Christian McCaffrey, they got a great offensive line. [Brock] Purdy has played at an MVP level.
"Then you have the receivers. Also, you have [George] Kittle in there, so it's a well-balanced offense, and you got to do something to kind of take them off their game, somehow some way, that's going to be our challenge."
LaFleur then detailed the physicality the 49ers' skill-position players bring to the table, explaining how imperative it will be for the Packers' defense to bring numbers every time they attempt to make a tackle.
"They've got really multiple guys; there are at least four guys over there that can get yards after contact," LaFleur told reporters. "That's why I think it's so imperative that you have to swarm as a defense. You got to have multiple bodies in position to make tackles.
"You truly have to gang tackle these guys because they do a great job … there was a great clip in the Philly game where Deebo catches a five-yard under route and he breaks I don't even know how many tackles, and he takes it 50 yards or whatever it was. All those guys though, collectively, they pose a great challenge on you."
LaFleur spent six seasons working on the same offensive staff as 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, serving as the quarterback's coach in Washington from 2010 to 2013 and holding the same role with the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2016.
When asked about the pros and cons of having a history with Shanahan as the two prepare to face off, LaFleur revealed that while his familiarity with the offensive scheme is a bonus, the 49ers' offense has grown tremendously over the years.
"You know the philosophy behind the offense, but I think they've evolved," LaFleur explained. "They just do a great job of presenting a lot of different looks. Obviously, they use motions and shifts and double motions, and they do a great job of aligning guys. Whether it's McCaffrey out at receiver or in the backfield, Deebo [in the] backfield or [at] receiver.
"There's just a lot of layers to the offense. We were together so long ago, I don't know how much I can really help our defense in that regard. You just got to play very sound defense. You got to be so dialed in, all 11 [defenders] on the same page every play because of all the eye candy they can give you and all the ways they can beat you."
Green Bay enters Saturday's matchup against San Francisco with an added level of confidence after throttling the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the biggest upset of the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend.
However, the 49ers present an entirely different task for a young and hungry Packers squad that will attempt to do what no team has ever done: Hand them a playoff loss at Levi's Stadium, where San Francisco boasts a 4-0 postseason record, including a 37-20 victory over Green Bay in the 2019 NFC Championship Game.
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