Green Bay Packers

The Packers' worst fears coming out of their 30-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday were confirmed by head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday.

He announced at his day-after-game news conference that cornerback Al Harris and linebacker Aaron Kampman will miss the rest of the season because of knee injuries.

McCarthy didn't elaborate on the extent of each injury, but various reports have indicated that the veteran leaders suffered torn anterior-cruciate ligaments in their left knees during the second half of Sunday's game.

McCarthy said Harris and Kampman will need surgery.

"It will be a big challenge for our football team," McCarthy said. "Both Aaron and Al have meant a lot to us and our football team. Both have over 100-plus starts.

"Just thinking about it after visiting with Aaron (on Monday), not seeing 74 (Kampman) and 31 (Harris) in the huddle, it's going to be different. But, it's a challenge that our younger players ... they're going to have to step up and get ready on a short week for Detroit."

The Packers (6-4), who have won their last two games, will have to compensate for the losses of the two Pro Bowl players in a hurry.

They will play at the NFC North rival Detroit Lions on Thursday in the Lions' traditional Thanksgiving Day game. Green Bay didn't practice Monday.

The Packers will plug in either rookie Brad Jones or Brady Poppinga to replace Kampman at left outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme.

Jones started for Kampman, who had a concussion, in the Nov. 15 win over the Dallas Cowboys and fared well.

Nickel back Tramon Williams will have a full-time role now with Harris out, but Green Bay might have to rely on untested rookie Brandon Underwood in a situational role.

"It don't matter at this point -- they've got to play," veteran cornerback Charles Woodson said. "So, we look for those guys to be prepared come Thursday."

—Monday's announcement by head coach Mike McCarthy that linebacker Aaron Kampman, as well as cornerback Al Harris, would miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury could spell the end of Kampman's eight-year career in Green Bay. Kampman is due to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end. His conversion from Pro Bowl defensive end to outside linebacker this year in the Packers' new 3-4 scheme has been bumpy, so Kampman might be tempted to look for a new home in 2010.

"I would hope not," said McCarthy, when asked whether he thinks Kampman played his last game as a Packer in the 30-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, when Kampman suffered his injury in the second half.

"But, those are all questions for the future," McCarthy added. "Right now, we want to make sure that (Kampman and Harris) get the best care, just like we do for all of our players, and just make sure that we're part of their decisions and help them the best that we can. They've meant a lot to our organization. They've played a lot of football and have been great representatives of the Green Bay Packers, and we want to make sure they're taken care of."

• With the Thanksgiving Day game at the Detroit Lions on the horizon Thursday, the Packers will be in hurry-up mode with their preparations.

  The players had Monday to recover from Sunday's game. They will have a full practice Tuesday, followed by an abbreviated workout Wednesday morning before departing for Detroit in the afternoon.

  "Our coaches have been here Thursday, Friday, Saturday (last week) and after the game Sunday getting ready for Detroit," McCarthy said. "So, we'll finalize our game planning throughout the day (Monday), and really Tuesday will be more like a combination of Wednesday and Thursday for us and we'll have a good plan for the Detroit Lions."

Player Notes

• TE Jermichael Finley played in Sunday's 30-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers for the first time in four games after being out nearly a month with a knee sprain. Finley was active in the Packers' passing game. He had a game- and career-high seven catches for 54 yards.

• C Scott Wells managed to make the start and play the whole way despite suffering a concussion that kept him out of practice late last week.

• LB Brady Poppinga was activated Sunday after missing a game with a quadriceps injury.

• RB Ahman Green didn't play in the game because of a strained groin that occurred late in the practice week.

• OL Allen Barbre, who lost the starting job at right tackle after seven games, is sidelined indefinitely with an ankle sprain he suffered in practice Thursday.

Report Card Vs

. 49ERS

Passing Offense:

A-minus—Aaron Rodgers evidently was motivated in his first in-season game against the 49ers to prove to his favorite boyhood team that they made a gross miscalculation in not taking him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. Rodgers staked the Packers to a 23-3 halftime lead by completing 22 of 31 passes for 274 yards (a career high for a half) and two touchdowns, hooking up with seven different receivers. Top wideout Greg Jennings (five catches for season-high 126 yards) had a few rare moments in the spotlight during his underwhelming 2009 season, none brighter than a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown off a short slant in the second quarter. Tight end Jermichael Finley (career-high seven receptions for 54 yards) made a big splash in his return to action after missing three games with a knee injury. Brandon Jackson (six catches for personal-best 65 yards) also was productive as a situational back, turning screens into sizable gains of 16 and nine yards to convert two third-down plays. The second half wasn't much about which to write home by Rodgers to his native Northern California, as he finished the game 32-of-45 for 344 yards without an interception for the fourth time in the last five games. Rodgers overthrew an open Donald Driver down the middle for a potential touchdown; tight end Donald Lee had one of the team's two drops; and both sacks of Rodgers came in the fourth quarter, including blown protection by right tackle Mark Tauscher on linebacker Parys Haralson.

Rushing Offense:

A—Shades of 2007, when an unknown Ryan Grant bust onto the featured-back scene the second half of the season to help drive the Packers within one step of the Super Bowl, came to the forefront against San Francisco's aggressive and third-ranked run defense. Two of Grant's first three runs went for 10 and 26 yards, and he had plenty in the explosive tank as the game wore on to rip off three more carries of double digits. His best run was his last—a 21-yarder in which Grant escaped a roadblock off right tackle and bounced to the outside in the clear to advance the football to the Packers' 41 in a clock-exhausting drive to end the game. Grant easily had just his second 100-yard game of the season, amassing 129 yards in 21 carries (6.1 average), which also included a 1-yard touchdown dive early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Fullbacks Korey Hall and Quinn Johnson were an effective lead-block tandem, as they alternated snaps, often lining up in I formation. Johnson and tight end Spencer Havner, who sealed off the outside, sprung Grant on his 26-yard run. Jackson chipped in four carries for 16 yards. The Packers racked up 158 yards on the ground, a hefty total that was reduced by Rodgers' taking three knees at the end of the game for a collective loss of four yards.

Pass Defense:

C-minus—A tale of two disparate halves nearly ended in nightmarish fashion for the Packers, who hung on for the six-point win after the 49ers rallied from two 20-point deficits. Losing linebacker Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris to season-ending knee injuries in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, contributed to Green Bay's delinquent performance against Alex Smith (the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft) in the second half after Smith was a miserable 3-of-7 for only five yards and was sacked three times in the opening 30 minutes. The only saving grace was an interception by safety Nick Collins on a badly thrown ball by Smith deep in 49ers territory, and the Packers turned that into the Grant touchdown for the 30-10 lead with 11 minutes to play. Working exclusively out of shotgun in catch-up mode, Smith exploited a combination of linebackers (specifically A.J. Hawk, along with Clay Matthews) and dime back Jarrett Bush trying to cover tight end Vernon Davis, who had his way down the field with second-half catches of 32, 29 and 24 (touchdown) yards. Rookie wideout Michael Crabtree also got into the action better late than never, perhaps getting away with a push-off of Harris on third-and-20 for a 38-yard grab in the end zone and beating nickel back Tramon Williams for a 35-yard catch. Smith finished 16-of-33 for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Defensive end Johnny Jolly tipped two passes at the line. Fellow linemen B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins accounted for two of the three sacks.

Rush Defense:

B—The large spread on the scoreboard entering the second half turned the 49ers' Frank Gore into a nonfactor. He took only two handoffs the final two quarters for all of three yards, bumping his game total to seven carries for 59 yards. When they did have to take on the powerful Gore in the run game, the Packers were up to the task the majority of those few occasions—linebacker Nick Barnett stuffed him for no gain on a run blitz up the middle. However, what sticks out more is Gore's first run of the game. A delay handoff up the middle went for 42 yards—the longest run allowed by Green Bay in 2009—as Hawk got turned around past the line of scrimmage to make a play and safety Atari Bigby was soft on the second level when he had a chance to put a hit on Gore. Collins wound up chasing Gore down. Nose tackle Ryan Pickett shed his blocker off the snap for a big stop of fullback Moran Norris on third-and-inches in the first quarter to force a field goal. The Packers, who allowed less than 100 rushing yards (69 by the 49ers) for the third straight game and sixth time in the last seven outings, surrendered an 8-yard run by receiver Josh Morgan on an end-around.

Special Teams:

B-minus—Green Bay seemed to have its recent coverage breakdowns rectified once and for all with a second straight solid outing. Lo and behold, however, Morgan broke free for a 76-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter, setting up Smith to throw the 24-yard touchdown pass to Davis to kickstart the 49ers' late comeback. Morgan's runback incidentally came from the doorstep of the end zone, where Mason Crosby's booming kickoffs frequented with regularity (five times with two touchbacks). Derrick Martin dropped Arnaz Battle at the 49ers' 16 on a kick return out of the end zone. Martin, Brandon Underwood and Brad Jones nearly had blocks on punter Andy Lee, though Underwood drew a minor contact penalty that was declined. Williams was indecisive at times on whether to catch the football on punt returns, but he had a 27-yard runback past midfield to set up a field goal by Crosby at the end of the first half—one of three chip-shot field goals for Crosby. Punter Jeremy Kapinos improved his net average to 38 yards and gave his coverage guys time to run down Reggie Smith for a scant average of 2.3 yards in three returns.

Coaching:

B—Head coach/play caller Mike McCarthy had one of his better days with the offensive game. He wasn't fazed by San Francisco's season-long success in stopping the run and unleashed Grant and Jackson on five of the first seven plays to get the run game on track. From there, McCarthy stuck to a short passing game for the second straight week, and it worked wonders for Rodgers in his monster first half. The offensive line was uncommonly in sync, keeping Rodgers clean until late in the game. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers had his hands tied after the losses of Kampman and Harris, having to rely on a pair of rookies in Brad Jones and Brandon Underwood, respectively, as the Packers had to weather the pass-heavy storm of the 49ers' comeback. Capers gambled—and lost—by putting a coverage-deficient Hawk on the imposing and playmaking Davis, rather than utilizing cornerback Charles Woodson, who previously thrived against other elite tight ends. The long kick returns allowed by Shawn Slocum's units have become tiresome.