Coach Kyle Shanahan made several significant changes to the San Francisco defense this offseason, aiming to restore the strong performance the team had in 2021 and 2022.
New defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen’s squad will face its first real challenge on Monday night when they play against the New York Jets and their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, who is 40 years old, is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that cut short his first season with the Jets after just four plays. Despite this, the 49ers know he has the skills to take advantage of any mistakes.
Defensive end Leonard Floyd, who has faced Rodgers often in the past, says, “My scouting report is he’s a legendary quarterback and you have to come with your ‘A’ game, because he’s the type where he’ll embarrass you.
If you give him some momentum, he’s going to carry that momentum for the whole game. You just have to be on your Ps and Qs, because he’ll score every time if you let him.”
The 49ers have a long history with Rodgers from his time in Green Bay, playing against him nine times in the regular season and four more times in the playoffs.
Under Shanahan since 2017, the 49ers have played Rodgers six times in the regular season and two more in the playoffs. Rodgers won three of those regular-season games, while San Francisco won both playoff matchups. Rodgers has had a strong performance against them, with a 104.9 rating, 11 touchdowns, and only two interceptions in those games.
“All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said, “He’s always just had the savvy. The ability to extend plays, to make the big plays, keep control of the game, obviously make the plays in the big-time moments.
There’s nothing that you can just pinpoint and be like, ‘Hey, we got to stop him from doing this.’ You have to prepare for it all. We have a big test. … He does it all. He’s one of the greatest of all time for a reason.”
