GREEN BAY, Wisc. – After leading rusher Matt Breida went down with an ankle injury in the 49ers’ Week 5 game, coach Kyle Shanahan turned to No. 3 running back Raheem Mostert.
Mostert fumbled on his first rushing attempt, one of the 49ers’ five turnovers on the day. Then, Shanahan did not sugarcoat what he thought of Mostert’s performance in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
“He challenged me in front of the whole team and the whole staff,” Mostert said Monday night after the 49ers’ 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers. “He had a talk with me and he said, ‘I know you can do better.'
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“I was a little down on myself because I knew I could do better, as well. So when he challenged me, I took that challenge throughout week of practice and preparation.”
And it carried over into the game on Monday at Lambeau Field. Mostert played 23 offensive snaps and produced career-highs with 12 rushing attempts for 87 yards. Mostert was rewarded with playing time behind Breida that had previously been designated for veteran Alfred Morris.
“He hit the hole hard,” 49ers left tackle Joe Staley said of Mostert. “He is coached by one the best running back coaches in NFL history in Bobby Turner, so he knows exactly what he is supposed to be doing. He was really pissed about fumbling last week.”
Breida, who was questionable with an ankle injury, was on the field for 27 plays and gained 61 yards on 14 carries. Morris played just one offensive snap and did not touch the ball.
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“I thought he ran hard,” Shanahan said of Breida. “We had to stop him a little bit just to keep his health up. Breida is the man. For him to get out there, he was hurting a lot. Battled all week to try to get his body ready to play. He did a good job.”
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This ‘n’ that
Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin returned to action after sitting out Week 5 with hamstring and thigh issues. He caught four passes for 126 yards. He had a 67-yard touchdown reception, one of his career-best two scoring catches.
“Man, I didn’t even know how long it was. C.J. has that cannon,” Goodwin said. “He let it go, and 67 yards later, it is a touchdown. The offensive line held up in protection. It was just C.J. believing in me enough to throw the ball, and that I would beat the safety and we made it happen.” . . .
When the 49ers scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game, it marked the first time since 2014 that the 49ers scored on their first possession in back-to-back games. . .
DeForest Buckner, Sheldon Day and Ronald Blair recorded a sack apiece of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Buckner also had a sack nullified by Richard Sherman’s holding penalty late in the fourth quarter to extend Green Bay’s game-winning drive.
“I can’t have that penalty and give him a shot,” Sherman said of Rodgers. “However I might feel about it, I have to find a way to win that play without getting a flag.” . . .
The temperature at kickoff was 37 degrees, making it the second-coldest October game at Lambeau Field since 1959, behind only the 36-degree Packers-Vikings game on Oct. 26, 1980.
