NFL Playoffs Live Updates: 49ers at Packers

Follow along all night as the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers square off at frigid Lambeau Field with a trip to the NFC Championship Game on the line.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jan 22, 2022 11:16 PM EST

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are hosting the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. Follow along all night for updates.

Final Score

49ers 13, Packers 10

On the final play of the game, Robbie Gould blasted a 45-yard field goal through the snow to send the 49ers into the NFC Championship Game and the Packers into a long offseason. Here's our early game story.

Fourth Quarter

Packers 10, 49ers 10 (3:20 remaining)

The Aaron Rodgers-led offense again went nowhere, overwhelmed by the 49ers' dominant pass rush. Yet another three-and-out punt will give San Francisco a chance for a stunning victory.

Packers 10, 49ers 10 (4:41 remaining)

In a shocking development, the 49ers have tied the game. Jordan Willis blocked Corey Bojorquez’s punt. Nobody could find the ball in the snow other than defensive back Talanoa Hufanga, who scooped up the loose ball and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown.

The Green Bay offense could have avoided the mess but failed to get a first down. On third down, Aaron Rodgers didn't have a prayer and was sacked by Arik Armstead.

Now, the season will depend on a winning drive.

Packers 10, 49ers 3 (6:10 remaining)

Will this be the play that sends the Packers to the NFC Championship Game? On fourth-and-1 from Green Bay’s 19 and San Francisco needing a touchdown, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan kept the offense on the field. Rashan Gary, who is having a dominant game, stuffed Elijah Mitchell. It's Packers ball with 370 seconds to run out.

Packers 10, 49ers 3 (11:27 remaining)

The Packers turned a 14-play drive into a key field goal. After two third-and-1 conversions by Aaron Jones, the big play was a 25-yard catch by Davante Adams to the 24. It was a shoestring grab by Adams, which put the Packers in scoring position. On third-and-goal from the 8, Arik Armstead bullied right guard Lucas Patrick and sacked Rodgers. It was the Niners’ fourth sack of the night.

Third Quarter

Packers 7, 49ers 3 (5:28 remaining)

Kenny Clark stemmed the tide for a moment with a third-down sack. It’s Green Bay’s fourth third-down sack of the game.

Injury update: Packers running back AJ Dillon (chest) is questionable. He was injured on the punt-return unit.

Packers 7, 49ers 3 (7:02 remaining)

The natives are getting restless with the 49ers having assumed total control of the game. Another three-and-out drive included a throwaway by Aaron Rodgers, a drop of a low pass by tight end Josiah Deguara and a not-a-chance checkdown to Aaron Jones.

Injury updates: 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel will be back for the 49ers' upcoming possession. And Packers safety Darnell Savage (back) is questionable. Henry Black has entered the lineup.

Packers 7, 49ers 3 (8:13 remaining)

Green Bay’s special teams ended the first half with a thud and started the second half with a dud. Deebo Samuel returned the second-half kickoff to midfield. Samuel struck again moments later, taking a quick pass for a gain of 19 yards that included a missed tackle by Adrian Amos and 20 yards after the catch. The 49ers momentarily pushed the ball to the 3 but running back Elijah Mitchell was flagged for a facemask against the tackler, Eric Stokes. A 29-yard field goal put the Niners on the board.

Injury: On a third-and-forever screen, Deebo Samuel gained 12 yards but was clobbered by linebacker and walked off the field with a couple trainers.

Second Quarter

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (Halftime

Following a crazy ending to the first half, the Packers and 49ers headed to the locker room. Green Bay left with the lead. San Francisco left with a momentum. On third-and-3 from the 11 after an interception by Adrian Amos, Aaron Rodgers extended the play to his right and found running back Aaron Jones streaking behind cornerback Dontae Johnson for a gain of 75. A better pass would have been a touchdown but perhaps Rodgers wanted a sure completion to at least move the chains. Jones was tackled at the 14 with 26 seconds left. The Packers had a chance to take charge. Instead, Nick Bosa beat right tackle Dennis Kelly badly for a sack/strip that right guard Lucas Patrick recovered. The Packers at least had a chance to kick a field goal to lead by 10 but safety Jimmie Ward blew through the left side of Green Bay’s line and blocked Mason Crosby’s 39-yard field goal. It appeared Tyler Lancaster was beaten.

The 49ers will get the ball to start the second half.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (56 seconds remaining)

This will be the best missed sack of Kenny Clark’s career. On first-and-goal at the 19 after Trent Williams was flagged for holding Tyler Lancaster, Clark stormed up the middle and had Garoppolo as a sitting duck. But Garoppolo ducked and extended the play. His pass toward the right pylon took forever to get to tight end George Kittle and was intercepted by Adrian Amos.

The 49ers finally got out of negative territory in yardage – and had a chance to get more than a bunch of yards. An incredible sideline catch by tight end Kittle for a gain of 15 jump-started the drive. Jimmy Garoppolo stepped up in the pocket and flipped the ball to running back Elijah Mitchell for 16 to the Packers’ 31, and Garoppolo and Kittle combined for 12 yards to make it first-and-goal at the 9.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (6:41 remaining)

Marcedes Lewis’ fumble in the first quarter really has taken the starch out of Green Bay’s offense. Their next three drives? Three-and-out after 4 yards, three-and-out with minus-4 yards and 16 yards and the only first down during that span. After Aaron Rodgers converted a third-and-5 with a completion to Davante Adams, Aaron Jones was stuffed for minus-1 and Rodgers couldn’t quite escape the pocket and was sacked for a 1-yard loss by Nick Bosa.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (11:38 remaining)

For the third time of the night, the Packers got off the field with a third-down sack. For the second time, it was Rashan Gary working over right tackle Tom Compton. By yards, it’s 107 for the Packers and minus-10 for the 49ers.

First Quarter

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (15 seconds remaining)

On first down, linebacker Krys Barnes clobbered running back Elijah Mitchell for a loss of 1. On second down, Jimmy Garoppolo had tight end George Kittle streaking beyond Adrian Amos for what might have been a touchdown, but the pass was a bit behind Kittle and he couldn’t make the catch. On third down, Amos blitzed Garoppolo and forced an incompletion.

The quarter ended with a short completion to Aaron Jones. The Packers are up 109 to minus-7 in yards but tight end Marcedes Lewis’ fumble looms large in keeping this a one-score game.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (3:03 remaining)

The Packers had an apparent takeaway when Rasul Douglas punched the ball loose from receiver Brandon Aiyuk. After a lengthy review, the pass was ruled incomplete.

On third-and-5, Rashan Gary overpowered right tackle Tom Compton for the sack. So, the Packers will start at their 16 – a 44-yard loss of field position.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (3:51 remaining)

The Packers were motoring again behind a run of 14 and a catch of 9 by running back Aaron Jones before making the first huge mistake of the game. Aaron Rodgers dumped it off to tight end Marcedes Lewis, who got it punched loose by linebacker Fred Warner. Dre Greenlaw recovered at the 42.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (6:45 remaining)

On third-and-12, Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith came off the bench. Smith, playing for the first time since Week 1, ran over standout left guard Laken Tomlinson and sacked Jimmy Garoppolo. Smith flexed and the crowd went crazy.

Packers 7, 49ers 0 (9:25 remaining)

So much for those slow-starting Packers or any bye-week rust. Green Bay stormed right down the field against the vaunted 49ers defense for a 69-yard touchdown drive. AJ Dillon plowed straight ahead from the 6 to give Green Bay the early lead. Dennis Kelly had the key block, driving defensive tackle Arik Armstead about 5 yards downfield. Aaron Rodgers was 4-of-5 for 54 yards on the drive – the only incompletion was a dropped screen. Adams caught three passes for 35 yards and Jones gained 19 on a swing pass that included 24 yards after the catch.

Pressure Cooker?

There’s a lot at stake for the Packers as they embark on these playoffs. There’s the uncertain future of Aaron Rodgers, the upcoming free agency of receiver Davante Adams as well as surprise defensive standouts De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas, and mammoth salary-cap problems due to GM Brian Gutekunst’s all-in approach to this season.

The 38-year-old Rodgers called that thinking “morbid.”

“I think football mortality is something that we all think about, and we all think about how many opportunities we’re going to be afforded moving forward, and each one is special,” he said. “Each season is different and unique in its own way, as has this one been. There’s four teams left on the NFC side. We’re one of them. We get to host playoff games. This is a special opportunity. We’re not going to make it bigger than it is. We’ve gotten this far being level-headed and even-keeled and not rising a rollercoaster of emotions, and we’re going to keep on doing the same thing. If it was good enough to get us this far, it’s good enough to get us past this point.”

Packers Lineup Notes

With left tackle David Bakhtiari inactive, it appears based on pregame warmups that Billy Turner – not Yosh Nijman – will get the start. The line will be Turner at left tackle, Jon Runyan at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Lucas Patrick at right guard and Dennis Kelly sticking at right tackle.

It's a surprising decision by coach Matt LaFleur. Turner, the team's usual starter at right tackle, missed the past four games with a knee injury and gave up two sacks in place of the injured Bakhtiari in last year’s NFC title game. He has not played a snap at left tackle all season. Moreover, Nijman has played well when thrust into action. Beginning with his Week 3 debut at San Francisco, the Packers are 8-0 when he’s in the starting lineup. Pro Football Focus charged him with only three sacks.

During their first snap of 11-on-11, the Packers went with Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes as the corners.

With Corey Bojorquez punting out of the end zone, Amari Rodgers was the only player fielding the kicks.

Pregame Kicking

In cold weather, the ball does not travel as far. In his pregame workout, Mason Crosby was short from 50 and 51 yards to the north end zone (left on your TV screen). His counterpart, 49ers veteran Robbie Gould, had even less range.

To the south end, Crosby got it through from 53 yards.

The cold “affects special teams in that what kickers, punters, snappers, holders, returners, anytime it affects the direction, the trajectory of the ball, the velocity of the ball,” Packers special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton said. “It does become an issue, and luckily for us, we have the opportunity to practice in these climates.”

Packers-49ers Quick Hitters

– With a win, the Packers would earn their 37th postseason victory. That would match New England for most in NFL history.

– Aaron Rodgers has thrown 45 touchdown passes in his postseason career. That’s tied with Joe Montana for second-most in NFL history behind Tom Brady’s 85.

– Rodgers is 6-3 against San Francisco in the regular season but 0-3 in the playoffs.

– The Packers are seeking a third consecutive trip to the NFC Championship Game, something that hasn’t been done since the 49ers in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

– The home team is 14-2 in the divisional round the past four years. The Packers won in 2019 and 2020 coming out of their playoff bye.

Packers-49ers Inactives

David Bakhtiari is out for the Packers.

Packers Playoffs Hype Video

Packers-49ers Playoff Weather Report

According to Weather.com, the kickoff temperature will be 13 with a wind chill hovering around 0. Because the clouds are sticking around, the temperature won’t fall by more than a degree or two. There is a chance of snow late in the game.

“The cold adds more challenges when running routes, getting hit, tackled, catching the ball, concentration,” receiver Allen Lazard said. “But, at the end of the day, it’s just the will to do it. When the time comes when I’ve got to hang up my cleats, I don’t think cold can be a factor in determining the outcome. It’s just staying focused, staying ready for the moment, and it’s an advantage. I use it as an advantage. That’s why we don’t wear sleeves and that’s why we love playing here at home, because it’s hard. It’s a tough environment to play in, and if you’re able to adapt to those elements and everything, then you’re going to have that leg up on your opponent. We’ve clearly had that here this year and we’ll hopefully continue that these next few games.”

Officially, it's 14 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill of 0. It's the fifth-coldest playoff game in Lambeau Field history.

Packers Are Favored vs. 49ers

The Packers are 5 1/2-point favorites at PointsBet, same as the opening line. Bettors are backing the Packers, with 71 percent of the bets and 77 percent of the money on Green Bay.

The total has been steady at 47.5 points all week. It’s a split bet, with 54 percent of the bets on the over but 60 percent of the money on the under.