The Sports Xchange

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — To a man, the San Francisco 49ers spent the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers insisting there are no moral victories.

But truth be told: There are moral victories, and the 49ers recorded one Sunday.

Pretty much any team the Packers will face in the final 12 weeks of the season would die to duplicate the results the 49ers’ pass defense had against quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The consensus top quarterback in the game was held to 224 yards and one touchdown on 22 completions.

That’s 109 fewer yards than he had against Kansas City in Week 3, two fewer touchdowns than he had against Chicago in Week 1, and three fewer completions than he had against Seattle in Week 2.

And it was accomplished by a defense that had been scorched for 680 yards and five touchdowns in its previous two games.

Statistically speaking, the 49ers made Rodgers look more like Teddy Bridgewater (231 yards on 23 completions) than Ben Roethlisberger or Carson Palmer.

“Some of the guys in the way they played and the way they did things, (we) feel really good about that,” 49ers coach Jim Tomsula gushed about his defense. “There were a lot of things to grow on there.”

So, kinda like a moral victory?

“We’re not into the moral victories,” he assured.

The 49ers defense, which had been labeled too complicated for its own good only two weeks earlier in Pittsburgh, suddenly looked good in disguises.

They were able to sneak an extra cornerback, Keith Reaser, in at linebacker in certain situations.

And they found multiple ways to use safety Jimmie Ward, who had averaged only 18 snaps a game in the first three outings. He was on the field for 62 plays Sunday.

“You could see a lot of the (defensive backs) playing around,” starting cornerback Kenneth Acker said. “That was one of the big things that coach stressed, that we had guys that could play a lot of roles.”

Next up: quarterback Eli Manning, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants.

“We definitely took a step in the right way as a defense,” linebacker NaVorro Bowman assessed. “We’ll get it right.”

REPORT CARD VS. PACKERS

PASSING OFFENSE: D. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick didn’t throw any touchdowns to Packers defenders. That’s the good news. He didn’t throw any to his own guys, either, in the 17-3 loss. A more conservative approach resulted in six sacks and several ugly throwaways, but only one interception despite constant pressure from the blitz-happy Packers.

RUSHING OFFENSE: F. The Packers were supposed to be vulnerable against the run. In fact, the unit they brought to town statistically ranked below all three of the 49ers’ previous three opponents. But San Francisco managed only 77 yards on 19 carries, with only 20 of the yards coming from Carlos Hyde.

PASS DEFENSE: A-minus. The same defense that offered little resistance to quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer put up quite a fight against the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, allowing only one touchdown and 224 total yards. Meanwhile, linebackers Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks got to Rodgers three times for sacks. It was the type of results that could have produced an upset win.

RUSH DEFENSE: C-plus. The Packers didn’t dominate the 49ers on the ground, but they were able to use their running game to earn a 37-23 dominance in time of possession. Nine of their 33 runs produced first downs. The Packers finished with 162 rushing yards and one touchdown, allowing the club to grind out a win on a day when its vaunted passing game wasn’t running on all cylinders.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B. The unit surely didn’t contribute to the 17-3 loss, but neither did it do anything to prevent it. Phil Dawson made his one and only field goal attempt, Bradley Pinion punted adequately and 49ers return men didn’t make any mistakes. Meanwhile, the Packers totaled only 14 return yards. All around, it was a solid, if unspectacular, effort.

COACHING: C-minus. Asked who was to blame for the club’s poor offensive showing in Sunday’s three-point output, 49ers coach Jim Tomsula pointed at himself. And that’s a problem. If, in fact, a former defensive line coach is dictating the offensive game plan, it’s little wonder the unit is struggling. Overall, a 17-3 loss to a strong team like Green Bay isn’t embarrassing, but it was boring.