GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 22: San Francisco 49ers’ Robbie Gould (9) kicks the sport successful subject purpose in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers within the fourth quarter for his or her NFC divisional playoff NFL sport at Lambeau Discipline in Inexperienced Bay, Wi., on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
GREEN BAY, Wisc. – On and on this dramatic 49ers’ season goes, from one elimination sport to the following, with a spot now reserved for them within the NFC Championship Recreation.
They superior Saturday night time with a fourth-quarter comeback in opposition to the top-seeded Inexperienced Bay Packers, rising with a 13-10 triumph in an epic divisional playoff sport additional adorned by a dusting of snow at Lambeau Discipline.
After maintaining their season alive with highway wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers (12-7) beat Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the fourth time in 4 playoff conferences.
Subsequent up for the 49ers: one other highway sport in opposition to both Tom Brady and the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Matthew Stafford and the Rams, a group the 49ers have crushed six consecutive instances. The Bucs and the Rams play Sunday at midday in Tampa.
“Our guys simply by no means wavered,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned after a victory that by no means appeared doubtless. “We by no means overreact to something. We simply preserve taking part in soccer.”
How did the 49ers escape this time?
Formally, they gained it on Robbie Gould’s 45-yard subject purpose, a drive keyed by Jimmy Garoppolo’s over-the-middle completions to George Kittle (12 yards) and Deebo Samuel (14 yards).
“The combat on this group is ridiculous. It truly is. No giving up,” Garoppolo mentioned.
On third-and-7 from the Packers’ 38-yard line, after a 49ers’ timeout, Garoppolo took a shotgun snap with 1:03 left and handed the ball off to Samuel on a draw. Samuel churned to the 29-yard line, then hopped off the sphere, unable to place weight on his proper foot.
The clock ticked beneath 30 seconds. Elijah Mitchell ran up the center for a yard. With 13 seconds on the clock, Garoppolo handed off once more, and it was Kyle Juszczyk’s flip up the center to the suitable hashmark, all in an effort to arrange Gould’s winner.
What actually saved the 49ers’ season, nonetheless, was essentially the most unlikely of game-tying touchdowns. It was scored on particular groups by rookie Talanoa Hufanga with 4:41 remaining. Hufanga scooped the soccer off the snow-covered grass, as soon as Jordan Willis heroically blocked Corey Bojorquez’s punt.
“You guys most likely noticed all of us search for it,” Hufanga mentioned of the soccer. “We have been struggling. With the snow and the darkish, we couldn’t see it. However then I heard it bounce to my left. I wasn’t going to leap on it. I wished to attain.”
Willis, regardless of a excessive ankle sprain final sport, plowed by way of the Packers’ lengthy snapper and prolonged his left hand as much as block the punt. Willis acquired not solely a bit of that ball, however coach Kyle Shanahan rewarded him with the ceremonial, postgame sport ball — with extra to be dispersed on the flight residence.
That left Rodgers loads of time for late-game magic, in opposition to a group he wanted solely 37 seconds to spare for a game-winning drive within the 49ers’ residence opener in Week 3. As a substitute, that Packers drive was innocent, expiring as soon as Rogers’ 45-yard heave towards Davante Adams fell incomplete with 3:33 remaining.
As soon as Gould’s subject purpose cleared by way of the uprights, it gave him an ideal 20-for-20 file on postseason field-goal makes an attempt. It was some of the clutch moments of his prolonged profession, and lengthy snapper Taybor Pepper retrieved the ball for Gould’s trophy case that features virtually all his different game-winners.
The 49ers gamers and coaches celebrated by racing everywhere in the Packers’ legendary subject. Pandemonium.
“The way in which this 12 months has gone has made this journey particular, and I’m glad it’s nonetheless going,” Nick Bosa mentioned.
Earlier than Garoppolo walked off into the locker room, he turned to acknowledge the 49ers followers who made the trek — the identical followers who absolutely cursed Garoppolo’s presence after he had a go intercepted on the Packers’ 4-yard line simply earlier than halftime.
However a storybook end made that a footnote, simply because it did the 4 third-down sacks he endured, simply because it did a failed fourth-and-1 run by Mitchell earlier within the fourth quarter.
It didn’t come with out sacrifice, in fact. Williams, the All-Professional left sort out, hobbled out of the locker room on crutches with an ankle damage.
“I used to be hurting all sport. I’ll be alright,” mentioned Samuel, who endured shoulder and ankle accidents whereas totaling 39 dashing yards, 44 receiving yards and 59 kick-return yards (142 all-purpose yards).
The 49ers’ protection, which allowed a gap landing drive, proved resilient the sport’s the rest, particularly so within the last quarter.
“Guys are having profession years and stepping up in instances we'd like them most,” mentioned Arik Armstead, who, himself, delivered a pair of third-down sacks on Aaron Rodgers.
A kind of sacks compelled the Packers to accept a 33-yard subject purpose and a 10-3 lead with 11:27 to go, leaving the door open for a fourth straight win and their ninth in 11 video games.
It was Samuel who sparked the 49ers’ second-half comeback bid. As snow flurries arrived, Samuel returned the second half’s opening kickoff 49 yards to midfield. He adopted with 4 extra touches (39 yards price) to arrange Gould’s 29-yard subject, chopping the deficit to 7-3. Stalling out that drive have been two penalties within the crimson zone, Elijah Mitchell known as for grabbing a facemask after which Trent Williams lining up in an unlawful formation.
The 49ers trailed 7-0 at halftime, and it may have been a lot worse had their protection not rallied after the opening landing drive. Extra assist got here from Jimmie Ward blocking a subject purpose try as the primary half expired.
That blocked kick couldn’t take the sting out of what occurred earlier, particularly Garoppolo’s go that was intercepted on the Packers’ 4-yard line by security Adrian Amos with 56 seconds till halftime.
It’s at this level in this system the place Garoppolo detractors will level out the 49ers entered 7-0 in video games he doesn’t throw an interception.
“There was a calmness,” Garoppolo mentioned of what he dubbed a “mature” sport. “There’s only a really feel to a sport. Even once they had a lead, I felt we have been in management. We simply wanted one play to spark us.”
That play got here from Willis, lengthy after the Packers thought their pivotal play was intercepting Garoppolo. Earlier than that decide, the 49ers had reached the 9-yard line after a completion to Kittle, however then got here a holding penalty on Williams, who earlier within the drive went in movement as a fullback and punishingly led the way in which for a Mitchell third-down conversion.
The 49ers had gone three-and-out on their earlier 4 possessions, which was a stark distinction to how the Packers opened by marching 69 yards (10 performs) en path to an A.J. Dillon landing run and 7-0 lead.
The final ones to march off the sphere: Kittle and Warner, the latter of whom summed up the 49ers’ survival streak: “It’s all type of simply storybook.”
Added Bosa: “It’s been quite a lot of enjoyable. An extended day. Issues went our manner there on the finish, and we’re again to the NFC Championship (Recreation).”