GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 49ers’ offense scripted a beautiful opening drive that resulted in a touchdown for the second week in a row.
Again, the 49ers’ defense gave it right back in strikingly sudden fashion.
But unlike a week earlier when the Arizona Cardinals scored on a 75-yard pass play to pull even, the 49ers rebounded from the early case of some bad play from the defensive secondary.
The 49ers got strong performance from quarterback C.J. Beathard, reserve running back Raheem Mostert and the defense in a last-minute, 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night at Lambeau Field.
[BAY]All Things Red and Gold: San Francisco 49ers 2018-19 Season Highlights
Here are three takeaways Monday’s game.
Beathard bounces back: Beathard bounced back strong after a disastrous four-turnover game in a loss to the previously winless Arizona Cardinals.
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Beathard completed 16 of 23 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His passer rating was 115.3.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan featured a mixture of outside zone runs with Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert, while also scheming up some receivers open down the field. And Beathard was on target.
The 49ers scored 24 points in the first half, marking their most productive first half since October 2013, when the 49ers scored 28 points in the first half of a game against Jacksonville. At halftime, Beathard had a 156.2 passer rating with nine completions in 12 attempts for 182 yards and two TD passes to Goodwin.
It was an encouraging performance from Beathard, who made his third start in place of Jimmy Garoppolo, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
On the other side, Rodgers completed 25 of 46 passes for 425 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Rodgers led the Packers on a 10-play, 87-yard drive in the final 1:07 after Beathard's late interception, setting up Mason Crosby's game-winning, 27-yard field goal.
Overcoming more turnovers: The 49ers had five takeaways in the Week 5 loss to the Cardinals. And the first half featured more of the same for the 49ers.
Kickoff returner D.J. Reed fumbled on the ensuing kickoff after the Packers tied the game at 7-7. The Packers scored three points off the turnover on Mason Crosby’s 20-yard field goal. The fumble forced the benching of Reed, as Richie James took over the return duties for the remainder of the game.
In the second quarter, fullback Kyle Juszczyk caught a 22-yard pass from Beathard but fumbled it back to the Packers. Again, the 49ers’ defense held, forcing Green Bay to settle for another field goal.
The 49ers were a league-worst minus-eight to open the week, and saw that margin to drop to minus-10 after the first 30 minutes of football.
After some initial issues with Packers receivers running wide open down the field, the 49ers’ defense got its act together. The Packers were unsuccessful on their first six third-down chances.
The return of Goodwin: Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin has battled leg injuries from Week 1 after sustaining a deep thigh contusion against the Minnesota Vikings. He was inactive last week in hopes of returning to health and regaining his speed.
It appeared to work.
Goodwin warmed up shirtless two-and-a-half hours before kickoff with the temperature at 38 degrees and a stiff wind blowing at Lambeau Field. It did not take him long to heat up once the game began.
Late in the first quarter with the 49ers trailing by 10 points, Goodwin ran a deep post and Beathard hit him in stride 41 yards down the field. Goodwin took it into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.
Goodwin later gave the 49ers a 21-20 lead in the second quarter with a 30-yard touchdown reception, which he punctuated with a long-jump celebration in the end zone. Goodwin represented the U.S. in the 2012 London Olympics in the long jump.
The return to Goodwin was a huge boost for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, as the offense is predicated on having a speedster at the X-receiver position to provide a deep-passing threat and also open up the underneath routes.
