It was [.
The San Francisco 49ers will play their first game on January 23, 2022.
AP Photo/Aaron Gash
The San Francisco 49ers upset the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in the Divisional Round on Saturday at Lambeau Field and are heading back to theNFC Championship Game for the first time since 2019.
The Packers entered the game as the top seed in the conference and lost. The 49ers have won four of their last five games, including a wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys.
It wasn't a pretty win from San Francisco, but the team's defensive performance and some special teams mistakes from Green Bay helped the Niners win.
Notable facts.
The quarterback for the team was 20/29 for 225 YDS.
Jimmy Garoppolo was 11/19 for 131 YDS, no touchdown, and one INT.
Jones had 12 CAR for 41 YDS and 9 REC for 129 YDS.
George Kittle had 4 catches for 63 yards.
Davante Adams had 9 catches for 90 yards.
3 REC for 44 YDS and 10 CAR for 39 YDS was achieved by Deebo Samuel.
The Packers' special teams were not involved in the loss.
The Packers' offense could've been better, but Green Bay's special team's performance was worse as it allowed a blocked punt and a blocked field goal to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
The Packers gave up a lot of yards on kick returns. The team only had 10 men on the field for San Francisco's game-winning field goal, as noted by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Tom Pelissero replied.
>
The worst special teams unit in the history of the league turned in one of the worst performances in playoff history, with only 10 men on the field for the winning field goal.
>
>
The Packers were last in the league in special teams.
The Packers have been ranked the worst special teams unit in the last four seasons.
The Packers finished last in both punt coverage and kick off. The special teams unit found itself in the bottom half of the league in a number of metrics, including kick return average, field goal percentage, punts inside the 20-yard line and points scored.
The special teams struggles will have to be addressed this off-season. Green Bay can't continue to move forward with a unit that is this bad.
The 49ers can thank defense for the win.
San Francisco's defense played well against the Packers. DeMeco Ryans' defense is a major reason why the Niners are moving on to the playoffs.
The defense limited Rodgers to less than 200 yards. The Packers veteran hadn't been held without a touchdown since a Week 10 win over the Seattle Seahawks, a testament to his excellence this season.
The Packers converted on just five of their 12 third-down attempts.
We should have seen this coming after San Francisco held the Cowboys to just 307 yards of total offense and forced a turnover in the Wild Card Round last weekend.
The 49ers defense has been good all season, allowing 206.5 passing yards per game. The team's rush defense allowed just 103.5 yards per game on the ground, which was seventh best.
It should come as no surprise that the 49ers defense played poorly against the Packers.
San Francisco's defense will need to play well in the playoffs, but that's not its main concern.
The team will need to focus on getting its offense back up to speed after it was held to less than 200 yards of total offense on Saturday night.
What's next?
The 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs, while the Packers will begin preparing for the future without Rodgers.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
