Winners and losers: 5 takeaways from Packers' resounding Week 12 win

The Packers benefited from taking on a 49ers' squad ravaged by injury in Week 12. Head coach Matt LaFleur's team still deserves credit for taking care of business. They hammered San Francisco by a final score of 38-10 in a game that was never in question.

Most of Green Bay's key players enjoyed solid, but not spectacular, performances against their traditional NFL rivals. The offense did not need to overly exert themselves against a 49ers offense that was led by journeyman quarterback Brandon Allen. Things might have been different if Brock Purdy was triggering the San Francisco offense but the Packers did not have to face that challenge.

As expected, most of the Packers' performances on Sunday met the organization's expectations. Only a couple members of Green Bay's roster need to feel concerned about the way they played against San Francisco. Read on to figure out which players can be pleased with their play and which need to improve before Week 13 arrives.

Packers winner No. 1: Quay Walker

Purdy missed the game for San Francisco which piled pressure on Christian McCaffrey to prop the offense up with his ability to grind out yards on the ground. All of coordinator Jeff Hafley's front-seven deserves credit for bottling up the 49ers' run game, but linebacker Quay Walker stood out amongst his peers.

Walker led Green Bay with seven total tackles including six solo stops and two tackles for loss on the day. He used his speed to run sideline-to-sideline to keep McCaffrey in check. That versatility even allowed Walker to defend one pass to keep San Francisco's offense behind the sticks.

The Packers' defense will face tougher challenges as the regular season rolls along but Walker deserves plaudits for his work in their Week 12 win. It would have been easy for him to relax given Purdy's absence but he elevated his play to help his team earn a valuable, but comfortable win.

Packers winner No. 2: Jordan Love

Love's interceptions have been a limiting factor for the Packers' offense this year. He did not light up the scoreboard against San Francisco but he did manage to protect the football. Not giving the 49ers' a short field was a big reason why Green Bay won this game so comfortably.

The star quarterback's two touchdown tosses also helped his team put the game away quickly. Tucker Kraft and Malik Heath are not the team's most dangerous receivers, but both managed to snare one scoring catch against the 49ers. Getting Kraft back involved after he was shutout in Week 11 was an encouraging sign for the Packers moving forward.

Love will have more impressive games but he deserves credit for keeping things simple against San Francisco. His willingness to attack opposing secondaries with deep throws is one of his biggest strengths but he did not need to take those risks agains the 'Niners. He took what was given and converted it into a win for his team.

Packers winner No. 3: Josh Jacobs

The Packers' top running back only averaged 4.1 yards per carry against the 49ers but he did find the end zone on three occasions. Jacobs helped his offense control the ball and convert their red zone chances into touchdowns rather than field goals.

That kind of ruthless efficiency is just what Green Bay needed to dominate this game. Jacobs might prefer to up his yards per carry in future games, but he did what was required against a 49ers' defense that could not stop the Packers from controlling the ball.

Emmanuel Wilson chipping in for 41 yards on nine carries helped prevent Jacobs from soaking up too many carries in this one, but the veteran was still the tone setter for his offense. Jacobs helped eliminate any doubt about this game's outcome with his steady running.

Packers winner No. 4: Xavier McKinney

Xavier McKinney backed up his reputation as a ball-hawking safety by picking Allen off and returning it 48 yards. This game was not a stiff challenge for such a talented safety but he still managed to produce a turnover and an explosive return to help keep San Francisco at bay.

McKinney gets extra credit for one additional pass defended against the 49ers. He continues to play like an All-Pro for a secondary that's needed his leadership and elite play. Chalk this up as another big game for one of this defense's most important players.

Packers loser No. 1: Christian Watson

Christian Watson led Green Bay in receiving yards last week but was not able to garner a single catch against San Francisco. It might be tempting to chalk that up to Green Bay's lack of pass attempts, but Watson was targeted three times without managing to reel in a single one of Love's passes.

Watson needs to add more consistency to his game if he wants to be a factor by the time the postseason rolls around. He has all of the physical gifts required to be a big-play threat in this offense but he needs to establish more trust with his coaches and his quarterback.

This game won't go down as a major setback for Watson but it's disappointing that he couldn't build on his standout performance against the Bears. He'll have to redouble his efforts in practice this week if he wants to remain a key part of the game plan in the team's Week 13 matchup against the Dolphins.