The Sports Xchange

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The undefeated Green Bay Packers are far more than a one-man team.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 224 yards and one score, but Green Bay’s defense turned in a dominant performance, leading the Packers to a 17-3 victory against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

Green Bay (4-0), coming off a seven-sack game Monday night against Kansas City, sacked 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick six times and held San Francisco’s offense to 196 net yards.

Packers linebacker Nick Perry had two sacks, while linebackers Clay Matthews, Jayrone Elliott, Julius Peppers and Mike Neal each had one at Levi’s, which will host Super Bowl 50 this season.

“They always say defenses win championships,” Perry said. “As long as we’re all playing on all cylinders, we can’t be beat. We’re going to take it one game at a time and focus on our next opponent and we’ll get there.”

The 49ers (1-3) lost their third straight game, having been outscored 107-28 during that stretch.

“I think we just have to keep growing as a group,” 49ers fullback Bruce Miller said. “We have a lot of new faces. We’ve got new guys in there and we’re trying to build chemistry. We’re still learning.”

The Packers (4-0) had lost four straight games to San Francisco, including playoff defeats in the 2012 and 2013 seasons in which they had no answer for Kaepernick.

Rodgers completed 22 of 32 passes with no interceptions. Wide receiver James Jones caught five passes for 98 yards, and running back Eddie Lacy carried 18 times for 90 yards.

“It was a grind out there,” said Rodgers, who was sacked three times. “We had a good first drive and we kind of stalled for a little while. Defense played incredible. I thought we ran the ball pretty well.”

What we learned about the Packers:

1. They’re good enough to win even when quarterback Aaron Rodgers puts up modest numbers. Rodgers threw for just 224 yards and one score and was sacked three times Sunday, but the Packers defense dominated San Francisco in a 17-3 victory. “Our defense played lights out,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think it’s our best performance so far this year.”

2. Sacks are becoming contagious. Just six days after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith seven times, the Packers sacked San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick six times Sunday in a 17-3 victory. Linebacker Nick Perry led the way with two sacks. Linebackers Clay Matthews, Jayrone Elliott, Julius Peppers and Mike Neal each had one sack. “We got a very good pass-rush unit,” Matthews said. “I think you saw the sacks, the quarterback hits, the pressures. Not just one guy, but several.”

3. The Packers just might be good enough to make a return trip to Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50. “We feel good about where we’re at,” linebacker Clay Matthews said. “I’ve felt like we’ve gotten better every week, offensively and defensively and special teams. There’s always room for improvement, but we got to keep this thing going. I think that’s what we understand. This is a very cohesive unit. We’ve been very close and we should be in contention for bigger things, and it starts now early in the season. We’re not trying to look too far ahead. We’re focused on each week, but at the same time these have implications later on in the year.”

Etc.:

–WR James Jones caught five passes for a team-high 98 yards Sunday in a 17-3 victory against San Francisco. Jones was coming off a big game Monday night against Kansas City in which he had seven catches for 131 yards and one touchdown.

–QB Aaron Rodgers finished the first quarter of the season without throwing an interception. He has 11 TD passes and zero picks for the 4-0 Packers. He went 22 of 32 for 224 yards and one touchdown Sunday in a 17-3 victory against San Francisco.

–OLB Nick Perry had a career-high-tying two sacks Sunday against San Francisco. Perry, who had two sacks against Minnesota on Oct. 2, 2014, has three sacks this season. The Packers sacked 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick six times.