The San Francisco 49ers were outplayed and outcoached for 54 minutes, yet they still advanced to the NFC Championship.
Dre Greenlaw made three critical plays, including two interceptions, to save the Niners from themselves in a 24-21 Divisional Round playoff win over Green Bay.
Brock Purdy had another poor performance in the weather, but with the season on the line and 6:18 remaining, he guided the game-winning drive. Purdy completed 6 of 7 throw attempts for 47 yards and ran for 11 more, accounting for 58 of the 69 yards on the drive, which ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Christian McCaffrey.
A club notorious for playing from ahead demonstrated its ability to come back late. That’s good news. The bad: their play showed a slew of flaws, and Kyle Shanahan once again got in his own way in a crucial game.
This year’s Packers are one of the youngest teams to have appeared in the NFC Semifinals, but they did not seem the part until late mistakes cost them the game.
The Niners will face the winner of the NFC Championship game between Tampa Bay and Detroit next Sunday in the late game. The prediction calls for temperatures in the high 60s, cloudy skies, and, most importantly, dry weather.
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