49ers Pull Out Gritty Win Over the Packers to Advance to the NFC Championship
One step closer to a Super Bowl appearance.
The San Francisco 49ers pull out a gritty 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers to advance to their third straight NFC Championship game. It was a game that no one foresaw being as close as it did.
The game didn't start off well for the 49ers. In fact, they were incredibly ineffective for the entire first-half of the game. It all started with the defense when they had a "bend, but don't break" performance in the opening series. Green Bay was driving so strong and looked poised to score a touchdown, but the 49ers persevered to hold them to a field goal. That is how the 49ers defense would look for a majority of the entire game. Green Bay's plan on offense was clear coming into the game and it was to run the football with a surging Aaron Jones.
The 49ers struggled to contain him and that only allowed Jordan Love to throw with ease for most of the game. The Packers offense would move the ball efficiently only to be met by a tightened up 49ers defense in or close to the red-zone. Only 6 points were allowed, which is fantastic. The 49ers also had a great defensive stand on fourth down at their own 14 yard line. It wasn't clean at all, but all that matters is they held the Packers where it counted.
You can't say the same about the 49ers in the first-half. It all starts with the plan from Kyle Shanahan. A lot of what the 49ers were doing in that half was passing. And while Brock Purdy has been sweet this season, it was unnecessary to go to the pass so often early. It didn't pay off, especially when it was clear that Purdy was playing skittish. He was off for most of the game and not just the first-half. So much of the offensive inefficiencies from the 49ers stemmed from Purdy. He couldn't hit basic throws and make the sweet chunk play throws he's demonstrated all season long.
It was an outright poor outing from Purdy, and it is one that raises concerns with him moving forward. Purdy is not the only one at fault on offense. Shanahan didn't do any favors, especially with his handling of the final two minutes in the first half. As usual, he has NO IDEA what he is doing in that timeframe. The guy has his head up in the clouds all the time in that scenario and it was potentially going to cost the 49ers the game. Shanahan was questionable all game long as was Purdy with poor performance.
However, the 49ers proved why they are the No. 1 seed. They can survive having an underwhelming performance with the opposition playing well. And they did just exactly that by emerging victorious in the end. For a stretch of the game, it looked like the 49ers were going to lose. Momentum never really was on their side. That didn't matter though. Despite playing well below his usual level, Purdy was able to be stable enough on the final offensive series to help lead the 49ers on a game-winning touchdown drive with one minute left.
After that, it was on the defense who would seal it by picking off Love. Tip of the cap to the Packers. They came to play in this game and absolutely proved why they came this far. For the 49ers, it wasn't rust or overlooking the Packers. It was the fact that Green Bay is actually a pretty good team. Hopefully this performance allows the 49ers to correct their issues and motivate themselves as they await for the winner of the Detroit Lions versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
