Once again Brett Favre came through to bring the struggling Packers another win.

Game Review: A Much-Needed Win In San Francisco

By Mike Spofford, Packers 12/10/2006

San Francisco — When you've struggled all year to stay within striking distance of .500, the need for a victory never diminishes.

But the Packers may have needed this win more than they've needed one all season.

Coming off three straight losses, including two humbling blowouts at home, the Packers stopped the bleeding and got first-year Head Coach Mike McCarthy's program back on track with a convincing 30-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Monster Park Sunday.

"It's been a long month for us as far as the way Sundays have gone," said McCarthy, whose team improved to 5-8 overall and 4-3 on the road. "But they prepare, they work, they stick together, and that exemplifies the character we have on the football team. I'm just really proud of the way they've stayed the course."

That the performance came against McCarthy's former team was perhaps not just a coincidence. McCarthy, San Francisco's offensive coordinator in 2005, understatedly admitted afterwards the game had special meaning to him. But perhaps he also felt some vindication in ending the losing streak and proving to his former bosses what his new team is capable of.

"Nobody talked about it, but everybody felt it," defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins said. "It was something we didn't have to say.

"You could hear Coach in his speech (Saturday) night. That's probably the most fired up I've ever seen him at a speech the night before a game. You could tell that this was just one that would mean a lot to him."

It also meant everything to the Packer offense to free up receiver Donald Driver to be a playmaker for quarterback Brett Favre, who used his go-to guy to post a 111.5 passer rating (22 of 34, 293 yards, 2 TD, no INT). Having faced bracket coverages and double teams that limited him to just eight catches over the past three weeks, Driver made the 49ers pay for trying more single coverage than most teams dared.

He caught nine passes for 160 yards, including a 68-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that put the Packers ahead 24-13 late in the third quarter. The TD was the Favre-Driver duo at its best, as Driver improvised from a slant to a corner route while Favre bought time in the pocket and then led his receiver into a vacated area. Driver turned to catch the high lofting pass over his outside shoulder, shook a shoestring tackle attempt by Mark Roman and outran three other 49er defenders to the end zone.

"They went man to man. I was happy about that," Driver said with a smile. "Coming into this game, I was really expecting them to double me and kind of try to take me out of the game.

"But they played the game the way they wanted to play it. They trust their corners that they could stop us, and our coaches trust out receives to go out and make plays, and we did."