Packers Notebook (Nov. 24)

Lazard’s increasing role

The player who might be the Green Bay Packers’ X-factor on Sunday and the rest of the season started the year on the practice squad.

Allen Lazard, who lost a heated battle at receiver in training camp, was promoted to the 53-man roster the day before the opening game at Chicago. Through five weeks, he had played 21 snaps and been targeted exactly zero times in the passing game.

With the Packers sputtering in the Week 6 game against Detroit, quarterback Aaron Rodgers suggested Lazard get a chance. During a fourth-quarter comeback, Lazard caught four passes for 65 yards and one touchdown.

With Davante Adams missing time with a toe injury and starters Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison offering only sporadic contributions, Lazard leads the team the past five weeks with 18 catches for 220 yards.

The past three games, Lazard has caught 11-of-15 passes (73.3 percent) for 113 yards. Valdes-Scantling, Allison and Jake Kumerow have combined to catch 11-of-21 passes (52.4 percent) for 109 yards and zero touchdowns.

“He’s definitely reliable,” Rodgers said. “It starts with his habits. He has really good habits. You guys know I talk about it in the offseason a lot, the way that you approach your job is very important to your opportunities. I think it’s a direct correlation between your preparation and the opportunities you get because if you know what you’re doing, you’re already ahead of the game for the most part.

“If you can go out and gain confidence executing that responsibility, you get the trust of the coaching staff and myself, you find the ball coming your way a little bit more often. So, I’m very proud of the way he stepped up. It’s never been too big for him.”

Sunday night’s game at San Francisco will be huge for the Packers, who are battling the 49ers for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and Lazard. San Francisco ranks No. 1 in the league in pass defense and has done a great job in taking away the opponent’s No. 1 receiver. That could make Lazard a focal point of the attack.

“I go into this game every single week the same,” Lazard said. “I feel like I’ve played in big games in my career before. Shoot, the Monday night game, when you guys found out who I was, I felt like that was a pretty big game. I just go into the game every single play, every single drive with the same mindset of being able to go out there and go dominate.”

Niners got lift at WR, too

Green Bay will see receiver Emmanuel Sanders for the second time this season. That’s not unusual against division opponents, but Sanders started the season with Denver and faced the Packers in Week 3 before being traded to the 49ers.

He’s caught 16 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns in four games to already rank third among the team’s receivers in receptions.

“The first thing you notice is how explosive he is,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Rich Scangarello, the offensive coordinator in Denver, implemented a lot of the same scheme and same terminology. He pretty much didn’t miss a beat going to San Francisco and was able to get implemented into their scheme in a hurry.”

Injury report

Green Bay didn’t have a single injury-related absence on Wednesday and only Adams (toe) and fullback Danny Vitale (knee) were limited.

The 49ers, on the other hand, were without tight end George Kittle, receivers Sanders and Deebo Samuel, running back Matt Breida, defensive end Dee Ford and left tackle Joe Staley. Staley won’t play following finger surgery but the others will be game-time decisions, according to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

The name to remember this week will be Kittle. He’s arguably the best tight end in the NFL and the Packers have had their hands full against tight ends.

In the final game before the bye, Carolina’s Greg Olsen caught eight passes for 98 yards. In the loss to the Chargers, Hunter Henry caught seven passes for 84 yards. In the narrow win at Kansas City, Travis Travis Kelce caught four passes for 63 yards and one touchdown. The week before that, Darren Waller led a Raiders contingent that caught 11 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns.

“Better than last week, but not good enough to practice today,” Shanahan said of Kittle. “It’s going to come down to the wire again and hopefully it will work out.”

Family matters

After being hired as Green Bay’s coach, LaFleur got to work building his staff. A potential offensive coordinator was his brother, Mike, who is San Francisco’s passing-game coordinator.

LaFleur’s friend, mentor and former colleague, Shanahan, turned down LaFleur’s request to interview his brother.

“I get the family stuff and everything, and I’m sure if things got pretty rough for a while, eventually I would’ve softened up and given in — maybe,” Shanahan said in a conference call. “But Mike’s my coordinator, and he does a hell of a job. He’s a really talented guy, and we put a lot of work in together. I feel very fortunate to have him this year, and I plan on staying that way until he gets a head coach job.”

Trench warfare

Last season, the 49ers set an unwelcome NFL record by intercepting just two passes. To get that turned around, general manager John Lynch used the second overall pick on Nick Bosa and signed Dee Ford in free agency.

The payoff has been obvious. Not only have Bosa and Ford helped power a defense that is tied for first in the league with 39 sacks, but the 49ers are third with 22 takeaways and fourth with 11 interceptions.

“They’re obviously very stout up front,” Rodgers said. “They’ve had a number of sacks, which is obviously helping not only their overall yardage but the back end, as well, because the back end knows the ball’s got to come out at a certain time. There’s not any holes on this defense. It’s solid from the front seven to the back end. They’re playing really well together. It’s going to be a really good test for us.”

Big-game experience

The Packers have a league-high four victories against winning teams. Their eight wins have come against teams with a combined .518 winning percentage — the highest for any team with a record of at least .500.

“That’s a confidence booster for us,” Rodgers said. “That’s important stuff. We’ve won on the road in tough environments. We’ve won in Dallas, won at Kansas City. We’ve gone on the road and taken care of business, so we’ll take that with us. We’ve also had a stinker on the road. So, we’ve got to learn from that experience and get out there and get ready to rock and roll.”