49ers Have Same Goal As Packers, Records Aside
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (AP) -- The Green Bay Packers are 7-4. The San Francisco 49ers are 4-7.
Remarkably, their playoff positions aren't so different.
The Packers are looking up at the Chicago Bears in the NFC North after losing at Atlanta last Sunday and would put their postseason hopes in jeopardy with an unexpected slip-up in the final month of the season. The 49ers also have plenty to play for in the eminently winnable NFC West, where St. Louis and Seattle share the division lead at 5-6.
That makes Sunday's game at Lambeau Field a must-win for both teams - and potentially dangerous for the Packers.
"The Atlanta game was a tough game for us," Charles Woodson said. "It kind of set us back a little bit. Our feeling is now, not to leave anything to chance. Win the rest of our games and then see where it goes from there."
After losing their first five games, the 49ers have won four of six and are coming off a 27-6 victory at Arizona on Monday night.
"We had high expectations of having a great record at this point in the season, but unfortunately, we don't," linebacker Patrick Willis said. "Our expectations to win this division are still there. That's our mindset right now, just stay focused and give ourselves a chance."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy says quarterback Troy Smith, who has won three of four starts since taking over against Denver in London on Oct. 31, has made the difference.
"You really have to point to the quarterback," McCarthy said. "I think he's given them a spark. He's run around and made some plays, and that's really probably the difference between them winning and losing early in the year."
But the 49ers want to remain a run-first team, even in the wake of Frank Gore's season-ending right hip fracture Monday night. Veteran Brian Westbrook, who hadn't seen much action since joining the 49ers in the offseason, took over and had 136 yards rushing and a touchdown.
"Things aren't going to change because of our leader going down," Smith said. "If anything, we have to be able to step up and definitely put guys into places where Frank definitely did the things that we needed for him to do, but our identity is not going to change."
It's a tough trip for the 49ers, who fly halfway across the country after a short week to prepare. And winter descended on Lambeau this week, with temperatures in the 30s and a light dusting of snow. More snow could come Sunday.
While the weather is supposed to be an advantage for the Packers, they aren't exactly built like a traditional cold-weather team.
They haven't run the ball particularly well after losing running back Ryan Grant to an ankle injury in the first week of the season, relying on a stingy defense and Aaron Rodgers' passing.
"We've got to stick with what's working, and what's working is getting the ball to the perimeter players," Rodgers said. "So God blessed me with some big hands, and if I can keep them warm, I think we've got to keep throwing the football."
McCarthy made it clear that the Packers don't plan on deviating from their pass-first philosophy just because the weather is starting to turn.
As long as it isn't too windy, McCarthy says the Packers can pass away, citing their performance in a frigid January 2008 NFC championship game loss to the New York Giants.
"You go back to the NFC championship game, I didn't think the ability to throw was a factor that day," McCarthy said. "So if you can throw the ball on that evening, I think you can throw it at any time outside of the wind games."
While the Packers try to show that early season injuries won't keep them from becoming the Super Bowl contender many expected them to be, the 49ers are intent on proving they can beat a highly regarded team on the road.
"Everybody is definitely talking and the team is chattering about rising to the challenge of the elite teams," Smith said. "We get a chance to lace them up and suit them up against them Sunday and that's the only important thing. That's the main thing. It doesn't matter who is coming into our stadium or if we are going to theirs, we attack everybody the same way. The stuff that happened in the past is in the past. We are moving forward."
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
