Sometimes Injuries Are An Excuse

Injuries are never an excuse is a phrase we hear all the time when it comes to sports, but it’s simply not true. There are times when injuries are very much an excuse, and 13 days ago in the divisional round of the playoffs was one of those times.

Let’s be clear, injuries didn’t make Aaron Rodgers miss a wide-open Allen Lazard with the season on the line, make Marcedes Lewis fumble, or make both a field goal and a punt get blocked. The Packers did those things to themselves, and that’s why they aren’t playing Cincinnati next Sunday. But to dismiss the impact injuries had on the offense would be ridiculous.

The Packers faced a talented and determined 49ers defense without the best left tackle in the league, one of the best left guards in the league, arguably the best deep threat in the league, and one of the four or five best tight ends in the NFC.

Insert David Bakhtiari at left tackle and Elgton Jenkins at left guard, move Jon Runyan from left guard to right guard and Billy Turner from left tackle to right tackle, and the 49ers four-man rush would’ve been far less effective. That particular offensive line would’ve given Rodgers more time in the pocket and wide receiver Davante Adams more time to free himself from constant double coverage. And with speedy Marquez Valdes-Scantling at the other receiver and crafty Robert Tonyan at tight end, there would’ve been two other talented targets to throw to if Adams still couldn’t get open.

Because the Packers kept winning in November and December without these four injured stars, too many people just assumed their success would continue in January. That confidence was misguided. Green Bay played only one team with a winning record after Jenkins went down against Minnesota in Week 11, and the offense was inconsistent all season, especially in the red zone. So anybody who looked at the 49ers game through objective eyes knew there was potential for trouble against an ascending defense that would likely be able to harass Rodgers with just four pass rushers.

Getting pressure with four and dropping seven into coverage is kryptonite to most offenses, especially when the defense also has fast and talented inside linebackers like Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Rodgers was under duress most of the night, and while a lot has been made of the receivers he missed, he more often than not had nobody to throw to down the field. That led to a lot of innocuous dump-offs in the flat and too many forces to a well-covered Adams.

The best way to attack the 49ers was with the run, but that became a lot more difficult without Valdes-Scantling, who injured his back in the meaningless Week 18 game versus Detroit. His big-play potential would’ve forced the 49ers to play their inside linebackers and safeties a little deeper. That would’ve made it easier for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to find more open space on the second level, and their 19 combined rushes probably would’ve gained a lot more than 66 yards.

On this 2nd & 7 play, AJ Dillon (#28) had very little room to run as the 49ers kept nine defenders within five yards of the line of scrimmage.

Even with all the offensive stars in street clothes and all the mistakes, Green Bay should’ve beaten the 49ers. They were the better team. But put Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Valdes-Scantling, and Tonyan in the lineup, and the Packers could’ve had two fumbles and three kicks blocked, and they still would’ve won by double digits. Sometimes injuries really are an excuse.

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