By CJ Carlson
The San Francisco 49ers were heavy favorites coming into the Divisional round against the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers. Granted, the Packers did just cause a massive upset in the Wild Card by beating the Dallas Cowboys, but they weren’t thought to be on the 49ers level. Well, the game started, and it certainly felt like they were.
Green Bay opened up with a few great drives and controlled the ball for the majority of the first quarter. However, they ended up with only a field goal and missed a huge opportunity on a poorly thrown Brock Purdy pass. A pass that went right into the hands of Darnell Savage, yet he couldn’t hold on. That likely would have been returned for a touchdown. Instead, the score was 3-0 at the end of the first, and Purdy didn’t look confident whatsoever.
Not to mention that Deebo Samuel got banged up on one of their first drives of the game. At last, in the second quarter, we saw life in the 49er’s offense with an 86-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 32-yard pass to George Kittle. The game started to slow down for both teams to end the first half, and Green Bay notched another field goal to pull it within one.
San Francisco 49ers Started Making Big Plays In The Second Half
The third quarter is what broke this game open. Only a few minutes into the quarter, the Packers drove the length of the field in just four minutes to score a touchdown and take a six-point lead. Four plays after that touchdown, the 49ers saw Christian McCaffrey break off a 39-yard rushing touchdown to regain the lead. Oh, but that’s not all. Right after that touchdown, the Packers ripped off a tremendously long kick return into the 49er’s territory. The return man fumbles around the 49ers red zone, and his teammate recovers it despite being surrounded by five defenders. Fast forward four more plays and the Packers score another touchdown and convert the two-point attempt to make it 21-14.
Then we got to the fourth quarter, where things fell apart for Green Bay. The 49ers forced an interception on Jordan Love thanks to a tipped ball and picked up a field goal because of it. Afterward, the Packers made a nice drive to regain momentum but saw Anders Carlson miss a 49-yard field goal to keep them from extending their 21-17 lead.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the 49ers to drive the length of the field with the game on the line to score a touchdown and go up 24-21, leading Love and the Packers offense just one minute on the clock to get into field goal range. They were marching straight down rather quickly at first, then Love threw a cross-body pass into coverage and got intercepted by Dre Greenlaw, ending this game and sending the 49ers to the NFC Championship.
The Packers Have Found Their Franchise Quarterback
So, let’s talk about the Packers here first. There’s no question that Love is the franchise cornerstone for this team. He threw for 194 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Those stats don’t pop off the page, but he was making throws and keeping his composure throughout the whole night. It was one tipped pass and one poor read away from going without a turnover and potentially winning this game. Plus, it helped that Aaron Jones was on fire, ripping off 108 yards on only 18 carries.
Defensively, they played really well, they just didn’t come away with any big negative play. They didn’t get a single sack on Brock Purdy, nor did they get an interception or a fumble. Those are crucial to have when determining such a close game like this. Fear not Packers faithful, Love will have you all back in this position again soon.
49ers Barely Escape Despite Tons Of Mistakes
Meanwhile, the 49ers are lucky to have escaped this one. While they definitely had to rewrite their game plan following Samuel’s early injury, it shouldn’t have made Purdy and the rest of this offense look clueless at times. Yes, it was raining, but Purdy wasn’t throwing the ball with confidence or accuracy for chunks of this game. He ended with 252 yards and a touchdown without turning it over, doing so with a 58-completion percentage.
That won’t get the job done against a team like the Baltimore Ravens. Purdy has to be better, and they have to keep relying upon their ground game. Christian McCaffrey took 17 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns. We also talked about their defense already, making a few huge plays to turn the tide in their favor.
Moving forward, San Francisco remains one of the most talented teams in the league. The question is if they can really live up to those expectations. Nick Bosa and Chase Young were practically nonfactors for most of the night, Purdy had poor accuracy/decision-making, Samuel exited early, they gave up a huge kick return, and let a field goal of their own get blocked. We’ve been saying it all year, the only team that can really beat the 49ers, is themselves. They almost did just that during this Divisional showdown with the Packers.
