anthem in limbo as both the league and union discuss it, nothing really has ch

MILWAUKEE — Turnovers just might be the most important statistic in football.Just ask the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers.More Packers coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers David Long Jersey , LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryThe 49ers last week had a 33-10 edge in first downs against Arizona but still lost by 10 following five giveaways.The Packers (2-2-1) almost doubled the Lions in total offense (521-264) and still lost 31-23 after coughing up three turnovers.Guess what the Packers will be focusing on in practice as they prepare to host the 49ers at Lambeau Field on Monday night?“Sometimes that ball bounces your way and sometimes it doesn’t. But you have to create more opportunities,” coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. “We’ve created too many giveaway opportunities and we clearly don’t have enough takeaway opportunities.”A team considered one of the top contenders in the NFC is off to a choppy start. Other than a 22-0 win over Buffalo, the Packers have alternated one bad half with one good one.The first half has been the problem in three games, which has forced Green Bay to play catch-up. It worked in the season opener, when Aaron Rodgers tossed three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter for a 24-23 win over Chicago after falling behind 20-0.But slow starts have doomed the Packers in losses at Washington and Detroit. Against the Lions last week, the Packers fell behind 24-0 at the half before losing 31-23.“That’s not how you start games and expect to win, especially against a good opponent. We’ve got to start faster than that,” receiver Davante Adams said after the Detroit loss.The 49ers (1-4) were sloppier, overshadowing the gaudy stats they put up on offense. They also failed to force a turnover.“I think we’ve been close to winning. It’s not an excuse. We definitely should have won more games than we have,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We’ve got to find ways to not turn it over and get the ball in the end zone.”Some other notes and things to watch:BACKING KICKERMcCarthy offered a vote of confidence for Mason Crosby following the kicker’s awful game against Detroit, going 1 of 5 on field-goal attempts and missing his only extra-point try. Crosby was 10 of 11 on the year before last week, including two 52-yarders in Week 4 against Buffalo. He also missed an extra-point attempt in that game.“He’s a proven, highly successful kicker, I still believe in him,” McCarthy said. “But he knows it – he has to make those kicks. … So hopefully we’ll learn from it and move on.”NOT PRIMEThe 49ers were expected to be an intriguing team based on a five-game winning streak to end last year with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. That earned them five prime-time games, starting with the trip to Green Bay.But the Niners are a much less compelling draw with a losing record and Garoppolo out for the season with a knee injury. They already had a game on Oct. 21 against the Rams moved out of prime time and could lose another in December at Seattle as viewers are less interested in watching backup C.J. Beathard than Garoppolo.“When things are good, you’re on top of the world, people praise you,” Beathard said. “When things are bad, they’ll bash you and you’ve just got to take both of those the same way and not even acknowledge anything on the outside.”RODGERS’ KNEEThe two-time NFL MVP seems to be moving a little better each week after hurting his left knee in the first half of the season-opening win over the Bears. Rodgers, though, did say he took a shot to the knee early in the Lions game that might require him to keep wearing a brace.He also had to play last week without injured receivers Randall Cobb (hamstring) and Geronimo Allison (concussion/hamstring). Allison did at least clear the concussion protocol this week.The Packers will get a break after the 49ers game with a bye week.OPEN SCREENShorter is better for Beathard. The 49ers were able to exploit Arizona’s defense with screen passes, with Beathard going 11 for 14 for 130 yards and a TD on throws that didn’t cross the line of scrimmage. His 129.2 passer rating on those passes eclipsed his 60.3 rating on passes beyond the line of scrimmage.“Screens are always hit or miss http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/bobby-evans-jersey ,” Shanahan said. “Sometimes, you catch them in blitzes. If you can get it off and no one sees the guy you’re screening to, there’s a lot of room to run.”RUN DOWNAaron Jones might be the most explosive option out of the Packers’ crowded backfield, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. But he was limited to seven carries for 40 yards last week as Green Bay played catch-up against Detroit. Jamaal Williams starts the game and is good in pass protection, while Ty Montgomery is a receiving threat out of the backfield.If the Packers can play with an early lead, they might be able to give the ball more to Jones to run and balance the offense.SAN FRANCISCO (1-4) at GREEN BAY (2-2-1)Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPNOPENING LINE – Packers by 8RECORD VS. SPREAD – 49ers 1-4, Packers 2-3SERIES RECORD – Packers lead 35-30-1LAST MEETING – Packers beat 49ers 17-3, Oct. 4, 2015LAST WEEK – 49ers lost to Cardinals 28-18; Packers lost to Lions 31-23AP PRO32 RANKING – 49ers No. 32, Packers No. 1449ERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (15), RUSH (4), PASS (22).49ERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (11), RUSH (7), PASS (15).PACKERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (10), RUSH (19), PASS (10).PACKERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (4), RUSH (15t), PASS (2).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – First meeting for teams in Green Bay since 49ers beat Packers 23-20 in NFC wild-card game on Jan. 5, 2014. … 49ers’ first Monday night game since opening 2016 season with 28-0 win over Rams. … 49ers ran 92 offensive plays in loss last week to Arizona, most by team since 1970. Also had 33 first downs, most by team in game since getting 36 on Oct. 18 Greg Gaines Jersey , 1998 against Colts. … QB C.J. Beathard set career highs last week going 34 of 54 for 349 yards. … FB Kyle Juszczyk fifth among NFC FBs and RBs with 197 yards receiving. … George Kittle leads NFL TEs averaging 17.3 yards per reception. … WR Pierre Garcon averaging 129.5 yards receiving with two touchdowns in last two games vs. Packers. … SF defense fifth in NFL allowing 3.37 yards per carry on first down…. DL DeForest Buckner has 3 1/2 sacks over last five games. … CB Richard Sherman‘s 32 INTs since 2011 are most by active player in that time. All came with Seattle. … Niners have one INT this season, three total takeaways, worst in league. Their minus-8 differential also NFL worst. … Packers coach Mike McCarthy was 49ers offensive coordinator in 2005. … QB Aaron Rodgers has 105.1 passer rating against NFC West since 2008, tops in NFL. … Rodgers has 36 games with three or more TD passes since 2012, second behind Saints‘ Drew Brees (39). … RB Aaron Jones has rushing TD in two of past three home games. … WR Davante Adams tied for NFL lead for most TD catches since 2016 (26). … Rookie WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling had first career TD catch last week. … Packers’ defense third in NFL in forcing three-and-outs on 28.8 percent of drives. … LB Blake Martinez had two sacks last week, first career multi-sack game. … S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has three INTs and sack over past four games. … Fantasy tip: McCarthy says he still believes in Mason Crosby following kicker’s awful game against Detroit, going 1 of 5 on FG attempts and missing his only extra-point try. Crosby was 10 of 11 on year before last week, including two 52-yarders in Week 4 against Buffalo. He also missed extra-point attempt in that game. CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, two of the NFL’s greatest linebackers, enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week. When their teams meet in Thursday night’s preseason opener, the game could very well honor them by being a defensive battle.On one hand, the Chicago Bears are installing a new offense under first-year coach Matt Nagy. On the other side, few if any of the Baltimore Ravens‘ starters at the offensive skill positions are likely to get much action.So if this winds up 10-9 or something similar, well, the smiles on the faces of Lewis and Urlacher might get a bit broader.Nagy has a second-year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, who will be taking his first major steps running the new scheme Nagy brought from Kansas City. He seems unconcerned that the second overall pick in the 2017 draft will be overmatched — even though Trubisky has been an interception machine in practices.“Our guys have picked up everything that we’ve asked them to do,” Nagy said. “There have been mistakes, but they’re way ahead of the learning curve. So that’s exciting and it tells me that once we get to the regular season we can do more than I initially thought. But we will be growing throughout the season.”And the preseason.As for the Ravens, don’t look for Joe Flacco in this one. The Hall of Fame game is an extra exhibition outing for the participants, and provides an opportunity for Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and his staff to look at first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson and veteran Robert Griffin III , who is attempting a comeback after not playing last year.“We have that set,” Harbaugh said of the QB plans for Thursday night. “I never really talk about that. We just go do it. But we have the quarterback rotation set Christian Wilkins Jersey , and then we’ll organize the rest of it … There’ll be some guys who won’t play in that game, probably you might guess the guys who haven’t practiced as much that first week.”Some other things to watch in the Hall of Fame game:A FIFTH GAMEThe extra preseason contest usually gives low draftees, non-draftees and guys trying to catch on an additional chance to show their stuff. This isn’t much different from the final exhibition game, when starters generally sit and others get a last chance to make a roster.“When you have that extra game, the benefit is it gives you more reps for your players,” Nagy said. “The negative is there’s health risks, right? So people can get hurt. There’s a fine balance of both of those and being able to understand which way you want to go, and right now I feel like our plan as a coaching staff for who we want to play and don’t want to play, I feel really good about it.”O-LINE QUESTIONSBoth teams have to find answers regarding their blockers. Baltimore has one of the best in the league in right guard Marshal Yanda, but he’s coming off an injury-ravaged 2017 in which he made it into two games.“That’s why they call it training camp,” Ravens OL coach Joe D’Alessandris said. “You have an idea of who are going to be your so-called projected players and starters, but that could change overnight. The same thing could happen during the season.”Considering how stationary Flacco can be, Baltimore needs to solve the offensive line issues quickly if he is its starter.Trubisky at least can move around, and there’s no question he will be the Bears’ first-stringer. Guard Kyle Long‘s assortment of health issues doesn’t help in the quest to solidify the line.HOMECOMINGThis is sort of a homecoming for Trubisky. He played at North Carolina but is from this area (Mentor, Ohio).“I’m excited. The Hall of Fame game is a great opportunity for this team, and it’s a unique place to place,” he said. “Just going back to the Hall of Fame, I’ll have some family coming to the game. It’ll be great to see some family, and it’s an exciting time for this team.”NATIONAL ANTHEMWith the NFL’s new policy on protocol during the national anthem in limbo as both the league and union discuss it, nothing really has changed from last season. Demonstrations by the players aimed toward awareness of social injustice could occur Thursday night.BETTING LINEWith legal betting on NFL games in some states, there actually is a line on this game: Baltimore by 2 points. How the oddsmakers got there is anyone’s guess considering there are 90 players on each roster and many of them will get on the field.——AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg and freelance writer Gene Chamberlain contributed to this report.——