NFL Playoffs: Niners rally to beat the Packers and move to the NFC Championship game

The San Francisco 49ers have been dominant throughout the NFL season and are one of the favourites to lift the Lombardi Trophy next month. They took on the youthful Green Bay Packers and were pushed for all four quarters, requiring a late rally to win 24-21 and ensure they would host either the Detroit Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game next weekend.

Green Bay were the better team for the first three quarters and looked like they would cause another upset following their huge win over the Dallas Cowboys last week. Late mistakes showed their inexperience in the playoffs and it ended with the Niners squeezing their way through.

The first drive of the game showed the Packers clear plan. Run down the clock and keep the Niners offence off the field. A seven-and-a-half-minute drive consisting of 16 plays setup Green Bay for a 29-yard field goal from Anders Carlson. Their defence held strong and a Preston Smith sack ensured that San Francisco would punt on their first drive of the game.

San Francisco scored the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter. A big stop on fourth down with the Packers in the redzone kept the score at 3-0. Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey marched down the field, with the latter combining with George Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown to give the 49ers the lead. 

There was more action in both redzones to come in the second quarter. Carlson added another field goal for the Packers to bring them within one, but the Niners had a chance to extend the lead just before the half. Jake Moody had his field goal blocked to keep the score at 7-6 going into half time.

The third quarter was where most of the action took place with both offenses going back and forth exchanging the lead. Green Bay forced a stop and setup a drive for Jordan Love and the offence. A QB sneak on third down saw them keep the drive alive, leading to Love finding a wide-open Bo Melton to score and retake the lead for the green and gold.

San Francisco replied within the space of two minutes. Purdy found Kittle for a gain of 32 yards and lead to a 39-yard rush from McCaffrey to take it all the way to the endzone and now give the Niners their one-point lead back. 

Next came the wildest play of the game. Keisean Nixon returned the kickoff for 73 yards before fumbling forward and looking like all the effort had been wasted. Eric Wilson made what could have been a game saving play by diving onto the ball and retaining possession for the Packers to take them into the redzone.

Love and the offence capitalised. He first found Romeo Doubs to take them within five yards of the endzone. Aaron Jones had his run stuffed, with the following play being well designed to find Tucker Kraft wide-open in the flat to score Green Bay’s second touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion was similar, finding Jones this time wide open in the flat to put them up 21-14.

Despite taking a big lead and the Niners struggling on both sides, Green Bay started to make mistakes. First it was Nixon who missed an overthrown pass by Purdy that should have easily been an interception and take the Packers into the redzone. 

Then it was the offences turn to make an error. Love had been superb throughout the second half of the season and carried that form into the playoffs. However, his inexperience started to show, throwing a high ball to an open Kraft that bounced into the air and was picked off by Dre Greenlaw.

Into the fourth quarter with the Packers still up by seven, San Francisco managed to narrow the deficit with Moody this time managing to convert his field goal from 52 yards.

Love again failed to connect with one of his receivers and this time it was a crucial third down, seeing them punt the ball away with 13 minutes left and only up by four.

Again, Green Bay’s defence held the Niners to another scoreless drive and then the game swung again as it began to look like the Packers would win and move on. Jones rushed for 53 yards and it was starting to feel as though it would be be the Packers’ night. Unfortunately, their drive ended scoreless with rookie kicker Carlson hitting a 41-yard field goal narrowly passed the uprights and keep the Niners within four.

San Francisco would not let them off the hook this time, marching down the field and setting up McCaffrey for another rushing touchdown from inside the 10-yard line. The point after attempt was good and the 49ers were now up 24-21 with less than two minutes to play.

It was score or go home for the Packers on the final drive. Love started to move the chains, connecting with Doubs and Luke Musgrave as they looked to at least get into field goal range. Then disaster struck. The quarterback threw his second interception of the game, rolling out to his right before throwing a desperate pass across his body aimed for Christian Watson, just to be picked off by Greenlaw again and put an end to the game.

San Francisco will find out if they will face the Detroit Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers next weekend, with a place in the Super Bowl on the line. It was a hard-fought game for the NFC favourites, but they managed to come through it and will fancy their chances of winning it all.