Inbox: They aren’t there yet, but they have time

[Cheesehead]

Steve from Ellenton, FL


Well, that was embarrassing…


…and this is going to be a blast.


Dave from Huntsville, AL


Can we stop going to California?


Fine by me.


Mark from Cumberland, MD


Oof. Burn the tape and move on.


Actually, you save this tape, hopefully for later. This is a team you have to beat, and they’ve set the bar. You don’t let it distract you in the coming weeks, but you don’t forget how you came up so woefully short against a conference rival. LA was humble pie. This one needs to be fuel.


Steven from Milford, CT


While I didn’t expect to win a tough game on the road, I expected a much closer game than what we saw. They had an extra week to prepare and yet again, the same problems showed time after time. This team easily gets outmuscled against top opposition and can’t cover a TE to save their lives. Unfortunately, I don’t see them fixing these glaring issues.


The Packers handled top-flight pass rushers earlier in the season, but not lately on the road. The Bosas and others have dictated the action these last two road losses. I have nothing for you on the tight ends. All I can say is at some point you have to make offenses beat you some other way.


Dave from Yeovil, England


Execution killed us.


Appreciate the sense of humor.


Henry from Hoback, WY


66 yards of offense by our wide receivers. 66...


The 49ers got pressure with four, covered with seven, and forced every pass to go sideways. Nobody could get open downfield, or they didn’t have time to run their routes. LaFleur trashed his own plan after the game, but the players also have to make something work. Plenty of blame to go around.


Lex from Chicago, IL


How did things go so wrong?


They played a really good team, one of the top three or four teams in the entire NFL for sure, and had no answers. The Packers found out they aren’t there yet, but they have time to get there. You tip your cap and move on.


Mark from Winchester, CO


I’m not going to say we should have kept Trevor Davis, however, special teams is still an issue, specifically on punt returns. How does that get fixed?


Lots of blocking drills, I guess. I don’t really know. But the Packers aren’t blocking in the return game well enough. That’s stating the obvious.


Nate from Torrance, CA


At what point in last night's game did you first find yourself thinking "this is going to be an ugly loss"?


I thought the defense held up pretty well most of the first half before breaking down in the last two minutes. That’s when the hole got too big.


Brian from Reno, NV


Coming off a bye, you would think we would at least be competitive. To know it is over before halftime was surprising. Need to go 1-0 next week. Then 1-0 the next week, etc. We were a step slow and Rodgers was off. It is a week-to-week league and Rodgers is still elite. Start gaining momentum again.


The 49ers had too much speed for the Packers. That’s a matchup issue they’ll have to account for in their future planning, and be more aware of other teams with that type of edge. The Packers can’t make up for this game tomorrow or the next day or next Sunday. It doesn’t work that way. It’s like baseball players trying to hit a six-run homer. Trying to do too much won’t accomplish anything. If every player and coach focuses on himself, first and foremost, they’ll come out the other end OK.


Chris from Ontario, CA


Hello II, I will not blame anyone. This team is just "not ready."


They weren’t ready Sunday night. Make the lesson worthwhile. What else is there to do? Give up? There’s way too much surrender in the Inbox. This is football. You got whipped. The Packers task is to not let this game define them or their season.


Ben from Pensacola, FL


O.K., that hurt. However, we can still drive our destiny. The No. 1 seed may be off, but we may place high if we win out. 49ers, Saints and Seahawks don't have cakewalks.


This was the first of several big games amongst NFC contenders. Long way to go, but worrying about seeding is wasted energy. I’ve tried to get that message across for a couple of weeks, but regardless. The focus now needs to be on giving yourself a chance to win the division in Minneapolis in Week 16.


Annie from Cincinnati, OH


Hey II, good luck. Longtime reader, sometimes question submitter, never a posted Inboxer. Obviously we're all feeling the same after that loss...like a Bengals fan, but worse since our team has given us hope this season. That same hope keeps me watching the whole game, even though I'll be waking up in five hours to teach first grade, and it keeps me wearing green and gold tomorrow too. My question is simple – how do the players find hope after a game like that? We're a good team, but yikes.


You put all your energy into improving your own individual performance, and you trust your teammates are going to put forth the same effort. Let the coaches worry about how it all comes together. Just focus on beating the guy across from you. It starts there.