49ers 24, Packers 21: Grades
SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just came from behind to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 and advance to the NFC Championship. Here are the 49ers' grades for this performance.
BROCK PURDY: C-PLUS
He gets credit for leading a game-winning come-from-behind drive for the first time this season. That was clutch, especially considering how poorly he played the entire game. He made one nice play when he scrambled to his right and threw a deep touchdown pass to George Kittle. Other than that, Purdy was erratic all night -- he clearly can't throw a football well in the rain. Twice he threw passes that should have been intercepted but were dropped. One should have been a pick-six. So in a sense, Purdy got extremely lucky. But again, give him credit for brushing off his poor performance and coming through when it mattered. That's the kind of thing Joe Montana would do.
RUNNING BACKS: A
Christian McCaffrey averaged 5.8 yards per carry, gained 128 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns. He was the 49ers' entire offense. The other running backs never touched the ball.
WIDE RECEIVERS: C
Deebo Samuel left the game with a concussion, came back, then left again with a shoulder injury and did not return. The injury appears to be the same one he suffered against the Browns Week 6 that cost him three games. No word yet if Samuel will miss the NFC Championship. Without Samuel on the field, the Packers could key on Brandon Aiyuk who caught just three passes for 32 yards. The 49ers' most productive receiver was Jauan Jennings who had 5 catches for 61 yards.
TIGHT ENDS: A-MINUS
George Kittle led all 49ers with 81 receiving yards and a touchdown catch, but he also dropped a pass and wore a hideous Canadian tuxedo to his postgame press conference that nearly negated all the good things he did in this game.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: B-PLUS
They gave up one sack and paved the way for the offense to gain 4.6 yards per carry. The only knock is that Trent Williams committed a 15-yard penalty and Aaron Banks committed a false start.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: C
They gave up 4.9 yards per carry and sacked Jordan Love no times, and Nick Bosa made zero impact. Did nothing against the run or the pass. Which means he has been invisible in four straight playoff games. The 49ers are paying him a ton of money to do nothing.
LINEBACKERS: A-PLUS
Dre Greenlaw intercepted Jordan Love twice, and that was the difference in the game. He didn't drop his interception opportunities and the Packers did. End of story. Greenlaw doesn't get nearly enough credit for how clutch he is.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: C
Ambry Thomas committed two panic pass interference penalties -- he's a big play waiting to happen. Charvarius Ward gave up a touchdown catch, plus Logan Ryan gave up a touchdown catch. Next week, Ryan needs to sit and Ji'Ayir Brown needs to play.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D-PLUS
Jake Moody had a 48-yard field-goal attempt blocked, but then bounced back and made a 52-yarder that was the difference in the game. The 49ers special teams also gave up a 73-yard kickoff return that led to a touchdown.
COACHES: C-MINUS
Kyle Shanahan didn't have his players prepared to play. They didn't even wear the right cleats in the rain -- they were slipping all over the place. And Shanahan didn't seem to account for the rain when he made his offensive game plan, because it featured lateral runs that were ineffective on a wet surface, because those runs require a hard cut upfield. In the second half, Shanahan finally adjusted and started calling runs between the tackles for McCaffrey, and suddenly the running game took off. Except for the one run Shanahan called for Jauan Jennings, which was absurd. The 49ers are lucky they escaped this game with a win -- they can thank the Packers defensive backs from dropping two easy picks including a pick six. But a win is a win, and the 49ers season is still alive. If they play like this again next week, they'll lose. But I expect the 49ers will be much more locked in for the NFC Championship Game. They better be.
