49ers-Packers snap counts: Josh Norman has two bruised lungs

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, 49ers cornerback Josh Norman is dealing with two bruised longs along with tissue damage which caused internal bleeding. Rapoport went on to say Norman “hopes to play next week,” which feels a bit optimistic.

Offense – 70 possible snaps

For the second week in a row, the 49ers offense played 70 snaps with each offensive linemen and George Kittle not leaving the field:

Kyle Juszczyk out-snapping Trey Sermon tells you all that you need to know about how the team feels about Sermon at this point. It’ll be interesting to see how the roles at running back play out moving forward.

The running game is going to struggle all year if safeties are playing at ten yards depth without any fear of a pass going over their heads:

The past two weeks, Kyle Shanahan told us that Trent Sherfield had earned the right to play over Brandon Aiyuk. But, magically, that changed against a more formidable opponent as Aiyuk played 86% of the snaps compared to Sherfield’s 3%.

Last week, Mohamed Sanu played 29% of the snaps compared to Aiyuk’s 54% and Sherfield’s 34%. We talked about the revolving door at WR3 before the season and how playing time would be determined by matchups. That’s been the case through three games.

The “play Trey Lance” crowd won’t be any quieter after this week. Lance played three snaps and was a decoy on one of them. Jimmy Garoppolo did not play well. The problem Kyle Shanahan has is finding the right time to insert Lance into the lineup.

If you play him sparingly, you run the risk of never allowing both quarterbacks to get into a rhythm. If you pull Garoppolo after a mistake, you can’t go back to him if Lance does the same.

Defense – 63 snaps

Nick Bosa played 86% of the snaps. That’s unsustainable if you want Bosa’s legs to be fresh come the end of the season. That same logic applies to Arik Armstead playing 76% of the snaps. But, I will say, being in the high 40s and low 50s does make a difference.

Emmanuel Moseley played well and was aggressive in his return. His health is critical moving forward, especially if Norman can’t go. Deommodore Lenoir played on the outside and in the slot. To me, he’s better suited on the outside, but the 49ers might not have a choice to play their fifth-round rookie inside if K’Wuan Williams is out. We’ll have injury updates from Kyle Shanahan at 4 p.m. PT today.

There’s been some talk about the 49ers’ lack of pass rush. Aaron Rodgers got rid of the ball, on average, in 2.28 seconds. This was going to be a coverage game for the defense, and they did not pass the test. It’s not plausible to expect to get after the quarterback when he’s getting rid of the ball so quickly.

Javon Kinlaw and D.J. Jones played well for the second week in a row. The 49ers made Green Bay one-dimensional after holding them to four yards per carry on the evening.

At edge rusher, it’s Bosa on one side while Dee Ford, Arden Key, and Samson Ebukam pick up the slack on the other end.

If K’Waun is out for an extended time, this might be an opportunity to use more three safety looks with Talanoa Hufanga. He came in early but did not play after. Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward are capable of guarding receivers in the slot. The question is whether the team trusts Hufanga more or a free agent signed off the streets.