Busy schedule gives Packers no time to celebrate their lopsided win over 49ers

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur hopes the homework he did earlier this month will help his team deal with its compressed schedule over the next couple of weeks.

The Packers’ 38-10 victory Sunday over the San Francisco 49ers began a 12-day stretch in which they play three games. They’re back at Lambeau Field on Thursday night to host the Miami Dolphins before visiting the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions the following Thursday.

LaFleur prepared for this. When the Packers had a bye Nov. 10, LaFleur said he spent the extra time studying the Dolphins, knowing he’d have little time to prepare for them this week.

“I watched pretty much every snap of Miami knowing this was coming, so made my notes, had kind of a preliminary plan for that,” LaFleur said.

The Packers (8-3) showed they could thrive in these quick turnaround situations last year, when they won a Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit four days after beating the Los Angeles Chargers at Lambeau Field.

The difference this time is that the Packers will play another Thursday game a week after their Thanksgiving matchup against the Dolphins.

Playing three games in so short a time frame could take a long-term physical toll as they head into the stretch run of the regular season.

They started this three-game set by producing their highest point total since winning 38-20 at Chicago in their 2023 season opener.

“I think collectively as a whole, especially on offense, I feel we’re getting back into a rhythm,” quarterback Jordan Love said.

The Packers understand the importance of this stretch, particularly with the NFC North-leading Lions looming next week.

Although Green Bay has put itself in good position to earn a playoff berth, the Packers have little margin for error if they want to catch up to the Lions (10-1) or Minnesota Vikings (9-2) in the NFC North race. The Packers already lost to both those teams at home and are just 1-2 within the division.

“We know going down this stretch every game is going to be important, every practice is going to be important, every meeting, whatever the case may be is going to be important,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “So we’re looking forward to this challenge.”

The Packers shored up their red zone offense by scoring touchdowns on each of their five trips inside the 49ers 20-yard line. It was the first time since 2017 the Packers had posted a perfect red zone percentage in a game while getting inside the opponent’s 20 at least five times. Green Bay entered the game having converted just 48.7% of its red zone possessions into touchdowns to rank 27th in the NFL. … The Packers had 169 yards rushing to increase their season total to 1,668. That’s their highest total through the first 11 games of a season since 2003. … After allowing a season-high 179 yards rushing in a 20-19 victory at Chicago, the Packers limited the 49ers to 44 yards on 16 carries.

Not much. The Packers squandered a scoring opportunity late in the second quarter and could have led by more than 17-7 at the beak considering how they had dominated play up to that point, but this otherwise was a pretty crisp performance.

McKinney broke up a fourth down pass and had a 48-yard interception return that led to a touchdown. McKinney has seven interceptions this season to tie Detroit’s Kerby Joseph for the NFL lead. … RB Josh Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Jacobs has seven touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving) over his past five games. … DL Rashan Gary has 2½ sacks over his past three games. Gary also forced a fumble Sunday. … One week after blocking a field-goal attempt as time expired to preserve Green Bay’s victory at Chicago, DL Karl Brooks recovered a fumble to set up a touchdown. … K Brandon McManus made a 51-yard field goal, converting Green Bay’s first attempt from 50-plus yards this season.

WR Christian Watson had no catches and dropped a potential 49-yard touchdown pass. Watson’s struggles came just a week after he caught four passes for a career-high 150 yards against the Bears.

WR Romeo Doubs left the game with a concussion. CB Jaire Alexander (knee) and LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) didn’t play.

800/6: Jacobs has rushed for 944 yards and seven touchdowns this season which means he has run for at least 800 yards and six touchdowns in each of his first six NFL seasons. The only other players since 2000 to rush for at least 800 yards and six touchdowns in each of their first six seasons are Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, Ezekiel Elliott and Adrian Peterson.

The Packers could get a strong test from the Dolphins (5-6), who are playing better than their record indicates. Miami has won three straight games by a combined score of 91-49.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) stretches just short of a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark (97) recovers a fumble during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Malik Heath (18) catches a touchdown pass against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (33) during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Malik Heath (18) catches a touchdown pass against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (33) during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising near records Monday and adding to last week’s gains.

The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher, as of 1:54 p.m. Eastern time, and sitting a bit below its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 395 points, or 0.9%, to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher.

Treasury yields also eased in the bond market amid what some analysts called a “Bessent bounce” after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary.

Bessent has advocated for reducing the U.S. government’s deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through tax and other revenue. Such an approach could soothe worries on Wall Street that Trump’s policies may lead to a much bigger deficit, which in turn would put upward pressure on Treasury yields.

After climbing above 4.44% immediately after Trump’s election, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell back to 4.27% Monday, down from 4.41% late Friday. That’s a notable move, and lower yields help make it cheaper for all kinds of companies and households to borrow money. They also give a boost to prices for stocks and other investments.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks the market’s expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with overnight interest rates, also slid.

The Fed began cutting its main interest rate just a couple months ago from a two-decade high, hoping to keep the job market humming after bringing high inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. But immediately after Trump’s victory, traders reduced bets for how many cuts the Fed may deliver next year. They were worried Trump's preference for lower tax rates and higher spending on the border would balloon the national debt. On Monday, traders went back to increasing their bets for the number of cuts possible in 2025, according to data from CME Group.

A report coming on Wednesday could influence how much the Fed may cut rates. Economists expect it to show that an underlying inflation trend the Fed prefers to use accelerated to 2.8% last month from 2.7% in September. Higher inflation would make the Fed more reluctant to cut rates as deeply or as quickly as it would otherwise.

Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expects that to slow by the end of next year to 2.4%, but he said inflation would be even lower if not for expected tariff increases on imports from China and autos favored by Trump.

In the stock market, Bath & Body Works jumped 17% after delivering stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The seller of personal care products and home fragrances also raised its financial forecasts for the full year, even though it still sees a “volatile retail environment” and a shorter holiday shopping season this year.

Much focus has been on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. Last week, two major retailers sent mixed messages. Target tumbled after giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart, which gave a much more encouraging outlook.

Another big retailer, Macy’s, said Monday its sales for the latest quarter were in line with its expectations, but it will delay the release of its full financial results. It found a single employee had intentionally hid up to $154 million in delivery expenses, and it needs more time to complete its investigation.

Macy’s stock fell 3.1%.

Among the market's leaders were several companies related to the housing industry. Monday's drop in Treasury yields could translate into easier mortgage rates, which could spur activity for housing. Builders FirstSource, a supplier or building materials, rose 6.8% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500.

Among homebuilders, D.R. Horton climbed 6.6%, PulteGroup added 6.2% and Lennar rose 6.1%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes moved modestly across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia.

In the crypto market, bitcoin was trading around $95,000 after threatening to hit $100,000 late last week for the first time.

AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

FILE - People work on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor in New York on November 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A currency trader talks on the phone near the screens showing the foreign exchange rates at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Currency traders work near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader talks on the phone near the screen showing the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader walks near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won and the Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)