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.”

Kaepernick completed 13 of 25 passes for 160 yards and one interception. Running back Carlos Hyde gained just 20 yards on eight carries. Wide receiver Torrey Smith caught two passes for 54 yards.

“We’re an offense that can run the ball and throw the ball,” Smith said. “We’re not doing either well right now.”

What we learned about the 49ers:

1. Their offense is a mess that might not be fixable this year. San Francisco scored 20 points in its season-opening win against Minnesota. Since then, the 49ers have lost three straight games, falling 43-18 to Pittsburgh, 47-7 to Arizona and 17-3 to Green Bay on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. This trend points to the 49ers offense putting up a zero in San Francisco’s next game, at the New York Giants.

2. The 49ers defense needs to take its home mojo on the road. The 49ers held Minnesota to three points in their season-opening win at Levi’s Stadium and gave up just 17 points on Sunday at home in a 17-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers, the NFL’s reigning MVP. Rodgers was sacked three times and threw for only 224 yards and one score. In the 49ers’ two road losses, they gave up 43 points to Pittsburgh and 47 to Arizona, although quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw a pair of pick-sixes against the Cardinals. “It’s not like we’ve been perfect over the past three weeks, so we as a defense had a chip on our shoulder to go out there and play well,” 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman said.

3. Kaepernick’s job is still safe — for now. One week after throwing four interceptions — two that were returned for touchdowns — in a loss to Arizona, Kaepernick had another rough game Sunday against Green Bay. He completed 13 of 25 passes for 160 yards and no touchdowns with one interception. Kaepernick was sacked six times. In three of the 49ers’ four games, he has not thrown a touchdown pass. Coach Jim Tomsula was asked what it would take for him to consider a change at quarterback. “Won’t even go into that discussion,” Tomsula said. “It’s not on my mind.”

Etc.:

–QB Colin Kaepernick had another rough game Sunday in a 17-3 loss to Green Bay. He was sacked six times and intercepted once. Kaepernick completed 13 of 25 passes for 160 yards and had a passer rating of 55.4. He has gone back-to-back games without a touchdown pass and his QB rating fell to 67.7.

–OLB Aaron Lynch had a career-high two sacks Sunday in a 17-3 loss to Green Bay. Lynch had six sacks last season as a rookie and has three this season.

–WR Quinton Patton sustained a possible concussion late in the fourth quarter Sunday against Green Bay. He was being examined by team doctors after the game.

–RB Reggie Bush, who missed the previous two games with a calf injury, returned to action Sunday against Green Bay. Bush caught one pass for three yards and carried once for no gain.