Niners trounced as Magical Playoff run ends in Seattle

NFC Divisional Playoff - As if two meetings between two of the NFL's best teams wasn't enough, a third match-up would be slated between the No. 6 seeded San Francisco 49ers and the No. 1 seeded Seattle Seahawks, two hated rivals hailing from the NFC West. With just one win separating these two teams in the regular season standings with a Week 18 regular season-finale being the deciding factor in who would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, "what could've been" would be the theme for the San Francisco 49ers had they won that week 18 match-up against Seattle and had they had a healthy roster that was without not only three of their best players and emotional leaders, but three of the best players in the entire league in Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle. But after reigning victorious the week prior on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, the many holes left by those injured 49ers would prove to be too large and would take their toll against a stout Seahawks team that was out for blood from the first play on, while boasting the league's best defense.

Despite having won four straight games over the Seahawks at Lumen Field entering Saturday, the most in team history, the 49ers' lone playoff game in Seattle, however, ended in defeat with the infamous Richard Sherman-Michael Crabtree beef during the 2013 NFC Championship. While things between these two teams aren't quite as heated as they once were, there would be no love lost as both sides had their fair share of trash talk before game day. Unfortunately, the back-and-forth banter would end up being more eventful than the game itself considering how one-sided things became in the opening moments. From the opening-kickoff, the rout was on. With San Francisco winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, Seattle would make that a regrettable decision by pouncing on their opponent with a 95-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown by Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed, a trade deadline acquisition from the Saints known for his speed, entered Saturday's game as the only player in the NFL with a kickoff and a punt return for a touchdown this season. He would add a third which would give his team an early 7-0 advantage, sucking the air right out of the San Francisco sideline. 

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold who would make his second career playoff start, entered the day questionable to play after getting hurt during practice in the days leading up to Saturday with an oblique injury that Darnold admitted he had never dealt with before. But after Seattle jumped out to an early lead without having to take a single snap on offense thanks to the team's red-hot start on special-teams, coupled with a dominant performance from the team's defense, Darnold was able to take a backseat and play things safe, allowing his running back Kenneth Walker III to do most of the dirty work. Staring down an early 7-0 hole, Brock Purdy and the 49er offense would make it past midfield on their opening-drive, but a failed 4th and 1 attempt would leave them empty handed with a turnover on downs. After initially appearing to have converted a first down with a completed pass, the officials blew the play dead and awarded Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald with a very late timeout call that left everyone on the field and watching from home confused. Most notably was coach Shanahan who was absolutely livid with the officials. The referees wouldn't be the only ones getting an earful from the 49ers' head coach, however, as second-year cornerback Renardo Green was also seen being chewed out and temporarily benched for something that upset his coach. 

With San Francisco hoping for a more successful drive on their second possession, things again would go south as backup tight-end Jake Tonges who was the hero in the Week 1 win over Seattle, hauled in an 11-yard reception for a first down before fumbling the ball away and giving the Niners their second turnover in as many possessions. Unlike the turnover on downs which only led to a Jason Myers field goal, the Seattle offense was able to capitalize with a touchdown following the fumble as Darnold connected with his favorite target and number one receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba inside the end zone. By the end of the first quarter the 49ers were already down 17-0 and in need of a jolt quick. San Francisco's offense would finally begin to string together a few successful drives before the half but were unable to make it to the end zone and were forced to settle for field goals as kicker Eddy Pineiro converted on kicks of 40 and 56 yards to help his team chip away, now trailing 17-6. With the Niners getting the ball to open the second half, forcing a Seattle punt like they did on their previous possession would be a huge win to keep the game within striking distance. Sadly, that would not be the case as the Seahawks were able to run the ball right through the San Francisco defense, eventually scoring on a 7-yard touchdown from Walker III. 

The drive would come at a cost, however, as Seattle's dynamic-duo of Walker III and Zach Charbonnet took a hit when Charbonnet left the game with what coach Macdonald would later confirm to be a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee. Taking over possession to open the second half, the 49ers would have a tall task ahead having to claw back from being down 24-6 and having been manhandled thus far in all three facets of the game. Things would only continue to sour as San Francisco's first four possessions of the second half would all end in turnovers -- fumble, interception and two on downs. With a chance to get their All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner back the following week for the NFC Championship game, the 49ers who were playing inspired football in hopes of a return for their emotional leader and defensive captain, would unfortunately witness that magical ride come to an end. After a Jason Myers field goal, Kenneth Walker III would put the finishing touches on a dominant night by completing the hat-trick with his second and third rushing touchdowns of the evening as Seattle stormed their way to a one-sided 41-6 victory. In what would go down as the most lopsided loss for the 49ers in the Shanahan era, the Seahawks matched their largest playoff win in franchise history while advancing to the franchise's fifth conference championship and first since 2014. 

Sam Darnold recorded his first career playoff win by throwing for 124 yards and a touchdown against his former team, while Brock Purdy threw for 140 yards and an interception. Seattle's Cooper Kupp led all receivers with 60 yards on 5 receptions, besting both Jake Tonges and Christian McCaffrey who each had 5 receptions for 59 and 39 yards receiving, respectively. 

Looking ahead -  With San Francisco's remarkable Cinderella season now over, it's still a remarkable feat given the 49ers were able to advance this far and win as many games as they did in spite of all the challenges they endured and all the injuries they sustained. To be without their number one receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the entire season, have their two best defensive players go down for the season by Week 6, to missing their starting quarterback for eight weeks, to losing their future Hall of Fame tight-end and emotional leader in the first half of a playoff game that they would go on to win in, it would be quite difficult to deem this season a failure given all the pieces they were deprived of and lost along the way. Coach Shanahan should be the runaway favorite to win the Coach of the Year Award for those very reasons. 49ers left-tackle Trent Williams described it perfectly when explaining during the team's postgame interview that they were, "playing with house money" when describing the many obstacles they overcame in the face of adversity. With a franchise QB now locked in under contract for years to come and some promising young talent that should only grow and get better with the experience they gained this season, the future remains bright for this 49ers group. 

What they will now need to focus on is improving the roster to keep pace with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, two teams they share a division with that will now compete in the conference championship for a shot at a Super Bowl title. While the 49ers claimed early season wins over both teams this year, they went on to drop the rematch to each team and clearly have areas in which they need to improve on if they want to catch up and eventually surpass their division foes. For coach Kyle Shanahan who has enjoyed success against the competition in the NFC West for most of his tenure, appears to have a new thorn in his side as the Macdonald-led Seattle defense has now kept Shanahan's offense to under 7-points twice this year, something that had only been done one other team entering this season. The team will also be back to the drawing board and in search of yet another defensive coordinator as Robert Saleh is expected to take the head coaching job of the Tennessee Titans, leaving San Francisco searching for their fifth defensive coordinator in the Shanahan-John Lynch era. Early candidates to potentially land the vacant DC role include Brian Flores, Raheem Morris, Jim Schwartz, KJ Wright, and current 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley. 

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49ers Complete Wild Card Upset in Philly, Advance to Face Seattle

NFC Wild Card - After dropping the regular season-finale at home against the rival Seahawks in Week 18, the 49ers were forced to begin their quest to return home to Levi's Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LX, on the road where they would face off against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. Opening up as 3-point underdogs, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers would witness those odds increase in favor of the Eagles to 5.5 come gameday. Having already been written off this season more times than fans can count given the plethora of injuries sustained to San Francisco's roster, those odds would mean nothing for a team that has looked adversity in the eye and has continued to prove doubters wrong virtually all season long. By Sunday the list of doubters would increase inside the media as the entire panel of ESPN's NFL Live chose the Eagles to prevail over the 49ers. As for the members of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, only former-49er Alex Smith chose the Niners to win. Finally, Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw would be the odd man out on the NFL on FOX as the only one to, "have any guts" as he explained it while picking San Francisco. 

Returning to the field that was a house of horrors for the 49ers during the 2022 NFC Championship when the 49ers were routed 31-7 following an injury to quarterback Brock Purdy on the team's opening-drive, the Niners would look to avenge that playoff loss much like they did in the most recent meeting between these two teams when Purdy and company opened up a can with a 42-19 drubbing of Philly in 2023. With the 49ers and Eagles having combined to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in 5 of the last 8 years, the two teams would fight for their right to hoist the Lombardi trophy once again, something the Niners have not done since the 1994 season. If they plan on making it that far this year, they'll need to do so with a few unfamiliar faces, notably at the linebacker position after the latest round of injuries claimed Tatum Bethune (torn groin) and Dee Winters (ankle) who were ruled out in the days leading up to game day with Bethune being placed on season-ending IR. Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Luke Gifford was a game-time decision while nursing a quadriceps injury and would be ruled out just before kickoff, leaving the 49ers even thinner at the position and giving way to newcomers Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow, both of whom were not even on the active roster a month ago. 

Entering the bout with a 7-2 record on the road this season, the 49ers would put that mark to the test against Eagles QB Jalen Hurts who entered Sunday's game with a perfect postseason record of 5-0 throughout his career at home. One of the biggest headlines entering the heavyweight matchup would be Kyle Shanahan's offense versus Vic Fangio's defense. Known for being one of the best play-callers in all of football, Shanahan's offense hasn't exactly fared well against Fangio's defenses over the years, with the offense scoring 15-points or fewer in all four meetings. Factor in the wind gusts of up to 35mph expected at kickoff and things would begin to favor the defense once again. But Shanahan and company would have other plans this time around and it showed right out the gates. 

With Philly winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, the 49ers would make an early statement on the second play of the game with a 61-yard pass from Purdy to receiver Demarcus Robinson. In his first season with the team, Robinson has had an extremely quiet campaign in San Francisco, but made his presence felt and his first big impact of the season on Sunday. Robinson would be awarded later in the drive as Purdy found him in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Niners an early 7-0 advantage. The Eagles would be quick to respond, however, as the 49er defense was shredded by the run game much like they were the week prior against Seattle. Running back Saquon Barkley matched San Francisco with a big gain on Philadelphia's second play on offense with a 29-yard run. The big gain would help the Eagles on their march to the end zone as tight-end Dallas Goedert took a handoff on third down from the 1-yard line and punched it in for the score before kicker Jake Elliott missed the game-tying extra-point. From there, the 49ers would be held to back-to-back three-and-out punts and the Eagles would be stopped near mid-field on a 4th and 2 attempt. 

Trailing 7-6 to begin the second quarter, the Eagles would take their first lead of the game on a drive in which they marched 99-yards over 9-minutes as Hurts again found Goedert, this time with a touchdown pass on 4th and 2. San Francisco would cut the 13-7 deficit in half with an Eddy Pineiro field goal and nearly tied the game heading into halftime before a Brock Purdy fumble near the sideline prevented the 49ers from setting up a field goal try as time ran out. Both teams would struggle on offense in the third quarter, combining for three three-and-out punts and an interception from Purdy which allowed the Eagles to add to their lead with a second field goal from Jake Elliott to make it 16-10, Philadelphia. In need of a strong fourth quarter after being held score-less in the third, the 49ers would strike on the first play of the fourth thanks to a bit of trickery that included a touchdown pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey who made an over-the-shoulder catch a la Willie Mays for the go-ahead score. 

With a chance to add to their 17-16 lead, Purdy would again succumb to an interception as Quinyon Mitchell came down with his second pick of the game. The 49er defense would again hold Philadelphia to a field goal, but the Eagles would still manage to take a 19-17 lead with 8-minutes remaining in regulation. Putting together their longest drive of the game in terms of time of possession (5:06), Purdy would cap things off with a touchdown pass on third down, finding McCaffrey inside the end zone as the Niners jumped back ahead 23-19 following a missed extra-point by Pineiro. With just under 3-minutes remaining and all three timeouts, the Eagles would be in a prime position to win the game with a last-minute touchdown, but Robert Saleh's defense would have other plans as Jalen Hurts failed to complete a pass on three consecutive plays from just outside the red zone as Eric Kendricks deflected a pass on 4th and 11 to seal the upset win for the 49ers. 

The 49ers would again lose one of their key players when All-Pro tight-end George Kittle went down midway thru the second quarter with a lower leg injury that required him to be carted off the field and into the visiting locker room where he would be visited by his wife and team owner Jed York. Feared to be something serious, coach Shanahan would confirm in his postgame presser that Kittle suffered a torn Achilles, adding yet another star player to San Francisco's ever-expanding list of injuries that one would have to think will eventually catch up to them. Kittle would hurt himself on his one and only reception of the game, a 6-yard gain. Demarcus Robinson would lead all receivers with a game-high 111 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Brock Purdy threw for 262 yards in the win to go along with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while Jalen Hurts threw finished with 168 yards and a touchdown for Philly. Saquon Barkley rushed for 106 yards and caught 3 passes for another 25 yards, besting Christian McCaffrey's 48 yards of rushing, but not his 66 yards and 2 touchdown receptions thru the air. 

The 49ers received big time contributions on defense from Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow who shored up the linebacker position when they needed it most and combined for a total of 21 tackles on the night. Rookie safety Marques Sigle also stepped up big time when called upon after starter Ji'Ayir Brown went down with a hamstring injury late in the first half. Robert Saleh will likely need this trio and more to step up for the rest of the playoffs and they continue to get banged up. 

SF-SEA Preview:  The 49ers will now head back to the pacific northwest where they will pay a visit to the Emerald City to face off for a third time this season against their rival and top-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the NFC's Divisional Round Playoffs. With both teams claiming victories against each other on the road this season, the Niners will look to keep that trend alive as they try for their fifth consecutive win at Seattle, having turned the tide after going nearly a decade without a single road win in the daunting venue. In a close game that came down to the final possession, the 49ers escaped Lumen Field with a 17-13 win back in Week 1, before coming up short in the regular season-finale at Levi's Stadium less than two weeks ago. In the most recent matchup, a 13-3 loss, the 49ers were unable to muster up any offense and had no answer for Seattle's run game. With All-Pro left-tackle Trent Williams back in the fold after missing the Week 18 meeting against the Seahawks with a hamstring injury, the 49ers will look to keep quarterback Brock Purdy on his feet and free of duress, something they failed to do in the second match-up. 

San Francisco's offense will also need a more productive game from Christian McCaffrey than what he gave them in Week 18, combining for 57 yards on 8 carries and 6 receptions. Robert Saleh's defense will also need a much stronger performance in the final chapter of this trilogy after allowing a whopping 180-yards on the ground between the running back tandem of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. If they can generate anything resembling a pass rush to rattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and force him to make mistakes, something he has done quite often to the tune of 14 interceptions on the year which ranks third-most in the NFL, that would be a major win for the SF defense. At home this season, Seattle has won 6 of 8 games in their home digs, while the Niners have maintained one of the better road records in the league at 8-2 this season. Oddsmakers, however, have the 49ers as 7.5-point underdogs. With Seattle coming off the first-round bye week, San Francisco on the other hand was screwed out of a full week of rest after playing the late game on Sunday. Instead of scheduling Bears-Rams for Saturday after both teams played the previous Saturday, the greedy and ratings-hungry NFL decided that made too much sense and chose to schedule SF-Seattle for Saturday instead. 

Expected to be a finalist for the Coach of the Year Award, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has at the very least reached the NFC Championship in all four of his team's playoff appearances since joining San Francisco's staff in 2017. With a shot at another NFC Championship on the line, this may be coach Shanahan's most impressive run yet given the multitude of injuries his team has sustained and the odds they continue to overcome. Kickoff is set for 5pm PST Saturday on FOX. 

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49ers Stymied in Season Finale Loss to Seattle, Will Face Eagles in Wild Card Round

Week 18 - After treating us to one of the most entertaining games of the NFL season a week ago when the (12-4) San Francisco 49ers went blow for blow against the Chicago Bears in a back-and-forth melee that included 80 total points scored and came down to the final play of the game, the regular season-finale against the rival (13-3) Seattle Seahawks would be rather uneventful in comparison. With the NFC Western Division title on the line as well as the NFC's No. 1 seed, the 49ers entered Saturday's game liking their chance of securing the division crown and home field advantage throughout the playoffs after having beaten Seattle on the road back in Week 1. However, the 49ers team that took the field on Saturday night would be a far cry from their Week 1 selves given the laundry list of injuries they've sustained since their season-opening win over the Seahawks. And by the time things officially got underway, San Francisco looked outmatched from start to finish, despite both teams entering the meeting riding six-game winning streaks. 

Winning the coin-toss and electing to defer would be about the extent of any winning Kyle Shanahan's team did on Saturday night as they were outclassed in all facets of the game. Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense came out guns blazing with a 13-play drive that ate up 7-minutes and 37-seconds of game time before being stood up inside the red zone at the 4-yard line. With only one play going for double-digit yards on the opening-drive for the Seahawks, the 49ers were able to force an incomplete pass on 4th and 4, resulting in the turnover on downs. The bend but don't break mentality would fire up the 49er sideline as well as the 49er Faithful in attendance, but it would be one of the few positives on the night for Robert Saleh's defense which struggled virtually all game long. The 7:37 time of possession on Seattle's opening-drive would mark their longest without scoring any points since 2018. Taking over on offense pinned back near their own goal line, the 49ers were held to a quick three and out punt which allowed for superb field position on Seattle's ensuing possession that was aided another 15-yards following a face mask penalty against the Niners on the return. 

Taking advantage of the short field, Seattle needed only three plays to find the end zone as running back Zach Charbonnet broke for a 27-yard rushing touchdown on 3rd and 2. With nothing to show for on San Francisco's first offensive possession, drive No. 2 failed to provide better results as Brock Purdy and company was held to their second three and out punt in as many possessions. After punting the ball only twice in the entire month of December, the 49er offense would match that total by the end of the first quarter on Saturday, ending San Francisco's team record of 27 straight quarters with a score. Despite no success whatsoever through the first quarter, Kyle Shanahan's team still found themselves in a prime position after Seattle marched 58-yards on their next possession but failed to connect on Josh Myers' 47-yard field goal that sailed wide-right. After going the whole first quarter without a single first down, the 49er offense was finally able to move the chains to start the second, but things would again spiral quickly as a call to go for it on 4th and 1 near mid-field ended in an incomplete pass from Purdy who again faced pressure and had to hurry his pass. Seattle's kicker would redeem himself on the Seahawks' next drive with a 45-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 ballgame. 

San Francisco would get on the scoreboard before the end of the first half with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Eddy Pineiro. Trailing by just a touchdown, the 49ers would get the ball to open the second half and appeared to be on track to score again, but Seattle's third sack of the night would ultimately lead to another punt as the absence of San Francisco's Pro Bowl left-tackle Trent Williams who sat out of Saturday's game while battling a hamstring injury began to come into focus. After being torched for a season-high 115 rushing yards allowed in the first half, the 49er defense held Seattle in check for the most part in the third quarter before an absolute meltdown on 3rd and 17. Perhaps no two plays would haunt the 49er defense greater than two of the first three plays on Seattle's next drive when Seahawks QB Sam Darnold was stepped on by his own teammate, resulting in a fumble that Niners defender Yetur Gross-Matos failed to come up with, eventually resulting in a 7-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, Seattle handed the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III who rushed 19-yards to pick up the first down, erasing the dreadful 3rd and 17 and prolonging the drive instead of punting the ball over to San Francisco in a one-score game. 

To make matters worse, Seattle would continue to march on the drive before having to settle for another Josh Myers field goal to take a 13-3 lead. Trailing by two-scores again, Purdy and the 49er offense began the fourth quarter by moving the ball with their most successful drive yet, marching 65-yards to give the offense their first trip to the red zone all night. But the 6-yard line would be as far as they'd make it as Purdy would have his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, resulting in a wobbly ball in and out of the hands of Christian McCaffrey and into the arms of a Seattle defender who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time before stepping out of bounds. The turnover would prove to be crucial as any momentum the Niners thought they had captured went right out the window. Another long drive orchestrated by the Seahawks offense would chew up over 8-minutes of game time as precious time ticked away for a 49ers team hoping to stage a late comeback. Marching 94-yards the other way, Seattle kicker Josh Myers would miss his second field goal of the night when his 26-yard attempt hit the right upright to reinstill hope into the 49ers once again. Unfortunately, that hope would evaporate rather quickly as a quick turnover on downs ended any chance of a last-ditch effort from San Francisco. Making matters worse, Purdy reportedly suffered a "stinger" on the 49ers' final offensive play of the game after taking a hit to his left shoulder while being sandwiched between two Seattle defenders. 

Aside from Seattle's run game which tallied 180 total yards on the ground, neither team lit up the stat sheet on offense. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 97 yards while Zach Charbonnet added 74 yards and a touchdown, besting San Francisco's 53 total rushing yards. Christian McCaffrey who entered the week with a league-best 108 missed tackles wasn't able to break many tackles on Saturday while dealing with a back ailment and rushed for just 23 yards on 8 carries and another 34 yards receiving on 6 receptions, falling short of his second career 1,000-1,000 season for rushing and passing yards. Jauan Jennings led the 49ers with a team-high 35 yards on 4 receptions, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished with a game-high 84 yards receiving on 6 receptions. Sam Darnold threw for 198 yards compared to just 127 from Brock Purdy. But perhaps the most glaring stat of all came in the time of possession battle which Seattle dominated by producing long drives: 37:48 to just 22:12. 

Wild Card Preview: Following the loss to Seattle, the 49ers not only missed out on securing the NFC's No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they'll now face the daunting task of having to win all of their games on the road if they want to partake in Super Bowl LX being played in their own house of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. San Francisco's loss coupled with a win from the L.A. Rams meant the 49ers will enter the playoffs as the NFC's No. 6 seed and will face off against the No. 3 seed and defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. With the 49ers opening up as 3.5 point underdogs against an Eagles team that went 11-6 in the regular season, Kyle Shanahan's team will hope to capture the same magic during a 42-19 win at Philly the last time these two teams met on December 2, 2023. San Francisco won handedly and was able to avenge their 31-7 loss in the NFC Championship the year prior after Brock Purdy was injured on the 49ers' first drive of the game. 

Philly's Lincoln Financial Field has become known for being one of the tougher venues to win in on the road during the playoffs, and no bad blood will be lost come gameday. Already facing a thin roster at the linebacker position, Robert Saleh's defense just got lot thinner after an MRI revealed on Monday that second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune will miss the playoffs after suffering a torn groin in Saturday's loss to Seattle. Already without All Pro linebacker Fred Warner who is hoping to make a return in the NFC title game if the 49ers can survive and advance that far, Dee Winters is currently listed as questionable after having to leave Saturday's game early with an ankle injury. The recently signed Eric Kendricks is expected to start and fill in in Bethune's absence. While Philly still boasts one of the best defenses in the NFC, their offense has struggled in the second half of the season despite plenty of weapons for quarterback Jalen Hurts to choose from. If the 49ers can muster up anything close to the type of offense they showcased in the two weeks prior to the season-finale, they should be able to stand a chance in pulling off the upset. And although Philly's offense has been stagnant for much of the second half, San Francisco's defense will need a much better outing than the one they had against Seattle. 

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Purdy leads Offense on 4th Quarter Comeback vs Pack to Inch Niners closer to Super Bowl

Playoffs - Continuing their quest for a sixth Super Bowl title and the franchise's first since the 1994 season, the NFC's number 1 seed San Francisco 49ers opened their 2023 Playoff campaign by playing host to the 7 seed Green Bay Packers. With Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad enjoying a Bye week in the NFL's Wild Card round a week earlier, the team watched and prepped from afar as the Packers became the youngest team in NFL history to win a playoff game following their blowout 48-32 win on the road over the 2 seed Dallas Cowboys. With no easy task remaining on the schedule for anyone at this point in the NFL season, San Francisco still opened up at the casinos as double-digit favorites with a trip to the NFC title game on the line. But with inclement weather in the forecast and rain expected to fall virtually all night long, the two teams that have met more than any others in the playoffs, would take centerstage on a wet and soggy field at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium. With the poor field conditions hindering both teams in all facets, the Niners would see their home field advantage dwindle as the playing field was leveled against an inferior opponent due in large part to the weather. 

As far as streaks go, Green Bay entered Saturday's Divisional round meeting against San Francisco riding a 4-game winning streak. In what would be the 10th postseason meeting all-time between the two franchises, the most in NFL history, the Niners entered the latest chapter of this rivalry with four straight wins in the head-to-head matchup, dating back to 2013. But with how the game started as San Francisco lost one of their best players in Deebo Samuel to a shoulder injury just several plays into their first drive and how things were shaping out even into the final minutes of the fourth quarter, it looked like Green Bay was finally on their way to ending their skid against the team that has ended their season so often over the last decade plus. Winning the coin-toss and electing to receive, the Packers began the game with a long opening-drive that lasted nearly 8-minutes on 16-plays, before having to settle for a field goal. After forcing a punt on San Francisco's opening possession, quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers offense were right back at it, making it to the red zone before stalling out inside the 15-yard line when Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur dialed up a QB sneak that was denied on 4th and 1, resulting in a turnover on downs. 

Taking advantage of Green Bay deciding to leave points off the board, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy began to kickstart the offense despite having trouble gripping the ball virtually all game long, showing just how uncomfortable he was throwing the ball in the rain. Even electing to go with a throwing glove in the early going, Purdy soon ditched the glove just one series later. But on one of his better throws of the night, San Francisco's signal-caller stepped up on a 3rd and 5 and launched a deep ball 32-yards into the end zone where he found tight-end George Kittle for the go-ahead touchdown. With the Packers adding another field goal on their next drive to make it a 1-point game, San Francisco had hoped to add to their lead before heading into the half, but a 48-yard field goal attempt by 49ers kicker Jake Moody was blocked to keep it a 7-6 San Francisco advantage thru the first two quarters. Opening the second half just as flat on offense as they did in the first, the 49ers were held to a three and out on their first possession of the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Packers began the half with their best offensive possession yet, aided by a 41-yard defensive pass interference call on 3rd and 15 by Niners cornerback Ambry Thomas who had a forgetful night for the San Francisco secondary.

One play later, Love found a wide-open receiver in the end zone as rookie Bo Melton hauled in his one and only grab on the night and made it count from 19-yards out for a touchdown. Igniting what would be a series of back-and-forth scores between the two teams, San Francisco answered on the other end with back-to-back big plays, the first of which on a 32-yard reception from Purdy to Kittle. Running back Christian McCaffrey would let his presence be known on the next play, taking a handoff up the middle and breaking a tackle on his way to paydirt as San Francisco retook a 14-13 lead. The Niners' lead would be short-lived, however, as the Packers nearly got it back on the ensuing kickoff as return man Keisean Nixon almost took it to the house before being stopped from behind and fumbling the ball. With Green Bay recovering the fumble, the 73-yard return by Nixon helped his team reclaim the lead with Love finding tight-end Tucker Kraft all alone just a few plays later for a 2-yard touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion on a bubble-screen to a wide-open Aaron Jones, the Packers took a 21-14 lead, their largest of the night. 

Forcing another San Francisco punt, Green Bay appeared to have the Niners right where they wanted them, with a chance to add to their lead and make it a two-score game. But Jordan Love who was red-hot entering Saturday's game having thrown 21 touchdowns to just 1 interception since Week 10, threw two costly interceptions down the stretch in what was the biggest game of his career up to this point. The first of which on an errant pass that was tipped, making for an easy pick by Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw. Although they would only get a field goal out of it as Jake Moody split the uprights from 52-yards out, the bit into the deficit to make it a 21-17 game to start the fourth quarter. With trips to the red zone on each of their first five possessions, Green Bay was held to their first punt of the night on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Holding San Francisco to a punt of their own, Packers running back Aaron Jones appeared to have dealt the final blow on the first play of their next possession, finding a hole and darting ahead for a 53-yard gain to put him over the 100-yard mark, becoming the first 100+ yard rusher allowed by the 49ers in 51 games, snapping the longest active streak in the NFL. 

The big night for Jones would be just another day at the office for the Packers back who eclipsed the century mark for the fifth consecutive game. Unfortunately for Green Bay, their drive would stall out there, settling for an Anders Carlson field goal that he missed wide left from 41-yards out. No kicker had missed more kicks all season than Carlson who's 13th miss of the year would prove to be the most costly, keeping it a 4-point game. Taking over with under 7-minutes remaining in regulation, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy who hadn't played particularly well while battling the elements, would have yet another chance to silence the critics. With a trip to the NFC title game on the line, Purdy would lead his team down the field by orchestrating a 13-play, 69-yard drive, converting on two key third downs before handing the ball off to his running back Christian McCaffrey who plowed forward 6-yards for his second rushing touchdown of the evening. With just 1:07 remaining in the fourth, the 49ers found themselves back on top leading 24-21. 

Since taking over the 49ers' head coaching job in 2017, no head coach has had a worse record when trailing by more than 5 points entering the fourth quarter than San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan who owned a dismal record of 0-31, including playoffs. But against his good friend and former colleague Matt LaFleur, Shanahan's team would find a way to pull it out and end the streak. Having a knack for trying to play hero-ball in an up and down first half of the season, Love reverted back to his old ways on a last-ditch effort on their ensuing possession. With a 1st & 10 from their own 36-yard line, Love was flushed from the pocket and threw an off-balance pass across the field and into trouble as San Francisco's Dre Greenlaw made a diving grab to secure his second interception of the night and seal the win for the 49ers, but not before stressing out the fans and his coaches alike by running around and breaking a few tackles when all he needed to do was go down. After being questionable to even play in Saturday's game with an Achilles injury, Greenlaw came up with two of the biggest plays of the game on defense and the only two interceptions on the night as San Francisco sent Green Bay home early in the playoffs for a fifth straight time. 

In the win, Brock Purdy threw for 252 yards and 1 touchdown on 23 of 39 pass attempts. 49ers tight-end George Kittle caught a touchdown pass and led his team in receiving yards with 81, followed by receiver Jauan Jennings who stepped up in the absence of Deebo Samuel in the opening quarter with 5 receptions for 61 yards. Running back Christian McCaffrey tallied 128 total yards, including 98 on the ground and rushed for 2 touchdowns on 17 carries, tying him with the great Jerry Rice for the most scrimmage TDs in a season (including playoffs) in 49ers franchise history with 23. Meanwhile, Jordan Love who tallied his lowest passer rating since Week 9 (72.4), threw for 194 yards on 21 of 34 attempts, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the loss for Green Bay. Romeo Doubs finished with a game-high 83-yards receiving on 4 receptions and running back Aaron Jones led all rushers with 108 yards on 18 carries. 

NFC Championship Preview: Making his second trip to the NFC Championship game in as many years as a pro will be 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. As for his team, it'll be San Francisco's third straight title game appearance and their fourth trip to the NFC Championship in the last five seasons. Looking to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl, the 49ers will play host to the No. 3 seed Detroit Lions who stand in their way. Winners of the NFC North, Lions quarterback Jared Goff who is 0-5 in his last five meetings against the Niners, leads an explosive Detroit offense who's list of weapons are second to only that of the 49ers. The Lions advanced to only their second-ever NFC title game in franchise history and the organization's first since 1991 after dispatching the No. 4 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23 on Sunday. Eying their first-ever Super Bowl appearance, Lions QB Jared Goff hopes to make it to a second Super Bowl after losing to the Patriots as a member of the Rams in 2018. 

In what is expected to be another hard-fought battle for the 49ers, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan knows his team can ill-afford another performance like the one his team mustered up against Green Bay. And with no rain projected in the forecast, it's unlikely they'll get another sloppy performance from their QB in what will be the biggest game of his life as last year's Mr. Irrelevant goes toe-to-toe with a former 1st overall pick at quarterback. Another area San Francisco will need to do much better in is getting to the quarterback as the 49ers failed to record a single sack versus the Packers. They'll also need to clean up some of the penalties that hurt them in the Divisional round, specifically on defense in the secondary. One key going into the game will be whether or not Brock Purdy will have Deebo Samuel at his disposal, as the self-proclaimed wide-back will be a game-time decision with a shoulder injury that kept him out of all but the opening-drive against Green Bay. If history repeats itself, the 49ers will at least have that in their favor as the Lions have lost 13 consecutive road playoff games with their last road playoff win taking place on November 22, 1957 against the 49ers in the NFL Championship. However, the 49ers currently own a 13-game home win streak against the Lions dating back to 1975. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

More Injury Woes at QB Doom Niners' Super Bowl hopes

Playoffs - Entering Sunday's NFC Championship between the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers and No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles, many football fans were hoping to see similar fireworks to the 42-41 shootout that took place back in November of 2019 when both team's quarterbacks last faced one another at the collegiate level. Brock Purdy's Iowa State Cyclones nearly upset Jalen Hurts and the heavily-favored Oklahoma Sooners in a wild game that came down to the final play and featured 11 total touchdowns between the two QB's. Fast forward to Championship Sunday, those hopes would come to a screeching halt rather early as we were deprived of what could've been and were left with something that hardly resembled a playoff football game. 

What was expected to be a brawl between two heavyweights that rank at or near the top in almost every major offensive and defensive statistical category, quickly turned into a handicap match just one drive in for the visiting 49ers. Despite entering Sunday's game with a franchise record 12-game winning-streak, many touted San Francisco would have a long day ahead of them, most notably at quarterback with rookie Brock Purdy given the Eagles' stout defense coupled with the hostile environment that is Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, but nothing could've prepared them for the piss-poor luck they would endure at the QB position yet again during Sunday's game. In fact, it would be the exact opposite for Purdy who had his day cut short due to injury. In a classic case of, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong," San Francisco began their day on defense where their defensive captain in 2022 Pro-Bowl and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner would leave the field with an injury on the third play from scrimmage. Though Warner would eventually reenter the game a few plays later, his brief exit would be a bad omen for things to come for San Francisco. Facing a 4th and 3 near midfield, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni would show his aggressiveness by dialing up a deep pass along the sideline to receiver DeVonta Smith. 

The play would fetch 29-yards on a catch that wasn't, as replays on TV showed the ball come loose and hit the ground upon further review. But with Philly rushing to hike the ball and insufficient evidence at the time for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to risk losing a timeout with an early challenge in the game's opening minutes with only seconds to react, the Eagles successfully got away with one and capitalized just two plays later with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from running back Miles Sanders. Looking to answer with their first possession on offense, the 49ers began moving the ball and converted on a pair of first downs before disaster struck. Facing a 2nd and 6 on San Francisco's sixth play from scrimmage, QB Brock Purdy took a hit to his throwing arm that jarred the ball loose up into the air and nearly intercepted. What was initially ruled an incompletion would wind up being a fumble as Sirianni threw his challenge flag and was awarded the ball on what would be Purdy's first career fumble. But even worse than the turnover and adding insult to injury, Purdy would exit the game with an elbow injury and would have to be attended to by the team's medical staff. Already down to their third-string quarterback, the 49ers' unbelievable luck would turn from bad to worse as they were forced to call upon their fourth-string QB in journeyman Josh Johnson. 

With both teams exchanging punts for the greater part of the first quarter, San Francisco would finally find an answer thanks to a 23-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey who bounced free from one tackle and broke another on his way to the end zone in the second quarter. It would mark the 9th straight game with a touchdown for McCaffrey, the longest streak by a 49er since Terrell Owens in 1998. After benefiting from the phantom catch on their first drive, Philadelphia's ensuing possession would be fueled by a barrage of 49er penalties (four in total) that ended with another touchdown from Miles Sanders who found the end zone for a second time. With the 49ers now trailing 14-7, any hopes of taking some momentum into the locker room at the half went out the window on San Francisco's following possession. With under two-minutes to go and San Francisco set to receive the second half kick-off, the Niners were in prime position to tie the game or at least put a dent in Philadelphia's lead. Instead, Johnson fumbled the snap and was unable to recover the ball, giving Philadelphia a golden opportunity to add to their lead before halftime.  

They often say teams in the NFL will only go as far as their quarterback will take them. San Francisco had rewrote that mantra a few times this season after injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, but with Brock Purdy falling to injury on San Francisco's first drive, the team's luck would finally run out and they would hit a brick wall. Having played for 13 different NFL franchises throughout his professional career, Johnson looked every bit like a quarterback who has had trouble sticking around with one team. Despite lacking that big play ability, all his coach and teammates had asked of Johnson was to keep his team in the game by avoiding the costly mistakes. Something he would fail to do. Unlike the Purdy fumble, the Eagles would cash in on Johnson's gaffe with a third rushing touchdown, this time from running back Boston Scott. Trailing 21-7 to start the second half, the injury bug would strike the 49ers quarterback position yet again as Johnson would also be forced to leave the game due to injury after sustaining a concussion on San Francisco's first possession of the third quarter. 

With Purdy checking back into the game, coach Shanahan had kicked the tires on appointing emergency quarterback duties to running back Christian McCaffrey who was seen shuffling through helmets with the team's equipment staff, before Shanahan elected to summon his starter again. Clearly in pain and limited in what he could do with the football, Purdy toughed it out to finish the ballgame, attempting only two passes the rest of the way, both on short screen-passes that traveled no more than 3-yards each. With the Philadelphia defense stacking the box to stop the run on virtually every down, it was like shooting fish in a barrel against a 49er offense that would be a shell of its former self, relegated to one-dimension and handcuffed for the remainder of the game with no other healthy quarterback options on the active roster. While the Eagles added another touchdown and a field goal, San Francisco's last two possessions ended in a turnover on downs and a Deebo Samuel fumble. Having lost the turnover battle and a pair of quarterbacks to boot, penalties would also add to the team's agony and dig an even bigger hole than they would be able to crawl out of as San Francisco was called for 11 penalties on the afternoon to Philly's 4. Despite falling by a final score of 31-7, San Francisco's defense held the Eagles' No. 1 ranked offense in Yards Per Game to just 269 total yards. 

If you ever wondered what a team that has their soul ripped out in the opening minutes looked like, look no further than San Francisco's first offensive possession when Purdy went down with the injury. Purdy finished with 23 yards passing and 4 for 4 on completions, meanwhile Johnson threw for 74 yards on 7 of 13 passes. Running back Christian McCaffrey would be the lone bright spot for the Niners by tallying 106 yards of total offense and a touchdown in the loss. Eagles QB and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts did not impress by any means, throwing for a modest 121 yards on 15 of 25 attempts, while adding another 39 yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 carries, but managed to play a turnover-free game. On a relatively quiet day for the Eagle offense, no member of the team collected more than 36 yards receiving. For San Francisco who finished with a record of 15-5, the season comes to a bitter end as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have now lost in back to back NFC Championships and will head into the offseason with even more questions at the quarterback position. With plenty of unknowns surrounding Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy who confirmed on Monday that he had suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow that will require him to recover for at least the next six months and possibly longer with a decision yet to be made on undergoing surgery, it's shaping up to be a long off-season for the 49er Faithful. Not to mention the void that will need to be filled at defensive-coordinator with DeMeco Ryans a shoo-in to land the Houston Texans head coaching gig. 

Super Bowl LVII: Clinching their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and first since winning it all in 2017, Philadelphia will head to the desert to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, seeking just their second Super Bowl trophy. As for K.C. who will be making their third Super Bowl appearance in four years, the team will be vying for a third Super Bowl trophy and second under head coach Andy Reid who will be facing his former team. 

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49ers Send Cowboys Home Again, Face Philly for NFC Title

Playoffs - Dating back to the 1970's, few rivalries in the NFL have been as heated as the rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Though the rivalry has lost some of its sizzle since the 1990's, things are beginning to warm up again between the two franchises who have now met in the playoffs for a second consecutive season. After dispatching Dak Prescott and the Cowboys in Dallas in the Wild Card round a season ago, the 49ers looked to repeat the feat of handing Dallas back to back exits from the playoffs on Sunday, this time playing host to the Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in the Divisional round. One step closer to the Super Bowl and with some home cooking, head coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers were able to do just that in a game that was highlighted by stellar defense. 

With San Francisco's defense ranked number one in the league, Dallas' stout defense answered the call for much of the game as well and came out guns blazing by holding the Niners to a three and out punt on their opening-possession. The Cowboys would show a bit more life on their first drive but were also held to a punt to start the game. Following a second 49er punt, the defense made their presence felt by intercepting a Dak Prescott pass on a third and long. Jumping out in front of Dallas' Michael Gallup was second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir who logged his second interception in as many weeks after picking off Seattle's Geno Smith a week ago. While the 49ers would turn the turnover into points, they were held to just a field goal as kicker Robbie Gould began what would be a busy day at the office. With San Francisco striking first and Dallas trailing 3-0, Dak and company would have the 49er defense floundering for the one and only time all game. Orchestrating a 17-play, 79-yard drive that lasted 7:47 of game time, Dak found tight-end Dalton Schultz with a short pass for the 4-yard score. 

Thanks to a blocked extra-point attempt by San Francisco's Samson Ebukam who also logged a sack on the afternoon, the 49ers found themselves trailing 6-3. San Francisco would answer right back with another field goal -- a 47-yarder from Gould to tie the game at 6. With the Cowboys chipping away at the field and trending towards another score, the 49er defense came through once again, this time in the red zone as All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner corralled an interception tipped by safety Jimmie Ward. Looking to put some more points on the board before the half, the 49ers narrowly avoided disaster with some questionable clock-management from both coach Shanahan and rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. Electing to use a timeout after showing little urgency and letting precious seconds tick away was Shanahan before Purdy got rid of the ball just in the nick of time with an out of bounds incompletion that left 1-second remaining on the clock. In came Gould who split the uprights for a third time in the first half to give the Niners a 9-6 lead at halftime. 

In the days leading up to the game, a pair of knuckleheads on a Dallas sports radio station had wished an injury on 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Instead, they would witness one of their own fall victim to the injury bug in running back Tony Pollard who had to be carted off the field with an ankle injury, forcing him to miss the second half. With Dallas opening the second half with the ball, the 49er defense was able to force the Cowboys offense off the field with a punt, but only for a short period as Dallas was given another chance following a fumbled punt return by Ray-Ray McCloud. Given a second opportunity and with prime field position, Dallas was able to tie the game with a 25-yard field goal from Brett Maher who had missed four of five extra-point attempts the week prior against Tampa Bay. After exchanging punts, the 49ers would string together their best drive of the evening, marching 76-yards in 14 plays that spanned exactly 6-minutes. Capping off the impressive drive that was highlighted by a 30-yard circus catch made by tight-end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey began to finally find holes in the Dallas defense and punched thru for a 2-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. 

Both teams would exchange field goals before a bit of unnecessary drama ensued as San Francisco insisted on making things harder on themselves down the stretch than they needed to be before ultimately avoiding disaster. Receiving a punt with 2:05 remaining in regulation, the 49ers were in need of a first down following the two-minute warning to clinch the win and milk the clock. While they would get the much-needed first down on a 13-yard scamper from running back Elijah Mitchell, the second-year back ran out of bounds, stopping the clock and allowing Dallas to successfully use their timeouts after getting a stop to get the ball back for one final last-ditch attempt. After missing a chance to ice the game with a would-be pick-six interception from linebacker Dre Greenlaw who dropped the ball, San Francisco whiffed again when Arik Armstead collided in the end zone with Prescott who avoided the safety and got rid of the ball with an incompletion. After a pair of short passes and the clock down to 6-seconds, the Cowboys would dial up one final play that was blown up by Jimmie Ward, eliminating any chance at a lateral-type miracle. Pulling off the 19-12 win, the 49ers booked their second straight trip to the NFC Championship and their third trip in four years. Meanwhile, the Cowboys now have 12 straight playoff appearances without playing in a Conference Championship game, the longest streak in NFL history. 

Relying on the defense for much of the game, Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for 214 yards on 19 of 29 pass attempts and was able to avoid the costly turnovers that plagued his counterpart in Dak Prescott. Dak did not finish far behind with 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 37 passes, but his two interceptions were costly, and his longest streak in NFL history of 1+ passing TD and 1+ rushing TDin four straight playoff games came to a screeching halt. Tight-end George Kittle proved to be Purdy's favorite target on the evening with five receptions for 95 yards, finishing behind only CeeDee Lamb who caught 10 passes for 117 yards for Dallas. The 49er defense held the Cowboys to only 76 yards rushing, while tallying 113 yards of their own on the ground between Eli Mitchell (14 carries, 51 yards) and Christian McCaffrey (10 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD). Evening the all-time series between these two storied franchises at 19-19-1, Sunday's win marked the Niners' first home win over Dallas since 1997. 

NFC Championship Preview: Having now won 12 straight games, the 49ers will put their winning-streak to the test and try for lucky No. 13 as they prepare to hit the road to face the No. 1 seeded Eagles in Philadelphia with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line. What will undoubtedly be a showdown between the NFC's top two seeds, the heavyweight match-up will feature the league's best defense in points per game and yards per game (San Francisco) going up against the league's best offense in those same two categories (Philadelphia). But the one match-up that will steal all the headlines is the one between both team's quarterbacks in Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts. Mr. Irrelevant versus the potential league MVP. And though this will be the first time these two QB's meet to face one another at the pro level, it isn't their first time facing one another on a football field. Purdy will have a chance at redemption after losing in a 42-41 shootout during his days at Iowa State as his Cyclones lost to Hurts and the Oklahoma Sooners back on November 9, 2019. Purdy would throw for 5 touchdowns and rush for another in the wild contest that also saw 5 total TD's from Hurts. Both should be a far cry from what we're likely to see from both quarterbacks on Sunday. 

The media has already begun spinning the narrative for Sunday's game as Brock Purdy the rookie quarterback who is ill-prepared to face a team as daunting as the Eagles in Philadelphia. However, Purdy will enter Sunday's game having already won two career playoff games to Hurts' one. Purdy will also be making history when he steps onto the field at Lincoln Financial as he'll become the first rookie QB to start a Conference Championship game since Mark Sanchez in 2009. With 200 yards passing in both playoff games this season and no turnovers committed, he's the only rookie QB in the Super Bowl era to do that even once in the playoffs. Purdy joined Joe Flacco (2008) and Mark Sanchez (2009) as the only rookie QBs to win two playoff starts. He's looking to become the first to make the Super Bowl after Flacco, Sanchez, Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Shaun King (1999) all lost in the conference title game. 

The last time these two teams met was Week 2 of the 2021-22 season just a year ago which saw San Francisco edge out a 17-11 win in Philadelphia. Of course a lot of things have changed since then and playoff football is a different type of animal than the second week of the regular season. Opening up as 2-point underdogs on the road, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will hope to use their Conference Championship experience to their benefit over second-year head coach Nick Siranni who has done a superb job at the helm in Philly, but will be in uncharted waters come Sunday against a hungry 49ers team that doesn't mind proving the doubters wrong. 

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Good as Gould, Niners knock off top-seeded Packers at Lambeau

NFC Divisional Round - Entering the playoffs as the one team nobody wanted to face in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers, winners of 8 of their last 10 games, proved it with their win against Dallas a week ago and then once again on Saturday when taking on the top-seeded Green Bay Packers at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. Playing a game in below freezing degree weather for the first time since the 2013 Wild Card round, which also featured the 49ers and Packers at Lambeau and ended in similar fashion, San Francisco would need to do something that no team had done this season by defeating Green Bay at home. With a perfect record of 8-0 at home this season, who better to reverse the curse than the Niners who have continued to be a thorn in the side of Aaron Rodgers throughout his postseason career (0-3 vs SF). However, Saturday's meeting at Lambeau would take on a completely different tone to start the game than any of the previous playoff bouts between Rodgers and the Niners, as well as the game that took place just a week earlier for the 49ers in Dallas. 

After a blazing start on both sides of the ball against the Cowboys, the 49ers were upended right out of the gates as Green Bay received the opening kickoff and did just about anything they wanted to on their way to marching down the field for an easy score. With no answer for Pro Bowl wide-receiver Devante Adams in their Week 3 meeting earlier this season, Rodgers continued to find his favorite target wide-open on Green Bay's opening-drive as the two caused fits for the San Francisco secondary by connecting on three plays for 35 yards. From there, Packers running back A.J. Dillon would do the rest as Green Bay scored with ease. As for the 49ers offense, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who had never played in a game throughout his career with the weather below 40 degrees, the Niners signal-caller certainly looked the part for much of the first half. With the temperature as low as 13 degrees at kickoff and a wind chill of 2 degrees, things would only get colder as the game wore on and the snowfall picked up. Putting things nicely, San Francisco's offense would get off to a sluggish start by going three and out on four straight drives to open a game for the first time since 2009. 

By the end of the first quarter, the Niners would have a whopping -7 yards of total offense to their name as dropped balls haunted San Francisco early and often. The -7 yards through the first quarter would be the 2nd fewest in a playoff game in the last 30 seasons and San Francisco's fewest to start a game since at least 2000 (including playoffs). Luckily for them, the defense would manage to contain Rodgers and co. the rest of the way, outside of a few big plays. Catching a break on defense, the 49ers were able to put a stop to Green Bay's second offensive possession when All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner forced a fumble on Packers tight-end Mercedes Lewis, but were unable to do anything with it. San Francisco's offense would finally show signs of life on their final possession of the first half when they marched inside the 10 yard-line, but a penalty and an errant pass would sour their hopes of scoring any points before the half. Rookie running back Elijah Mitchell appeared to rush the 49ers on the door step inside the Green Bay 5 yard-line, but the play would bring them back to the 19 yard-line after a holding call on left-tackle Trent Williams. One play later, Garoppolo would escape a pair of sacks, only to be intercepted on a pass intended for George Kittle. 

Hoping to at least head into the locker room at the half trailing 7-0, the 49ers nearly saw their deficit double when Packers running back Aaron Jones leaked out from behind the San Francisco secondary when safety Jimmie Ward was caught snoozing. The result of the play would be a 75-yard reception from Jones, before safety Jaquaski Tartt came through in the clutch by not giving up on the play and tracking down the Packers running back who appeared to be off to the races. After getting a big sack from Nick Bosa for a 5-yard loss, the Packers would setup for a Mason Crosby field goal from 39 yards out. Making up for his mistake just three plays earlier, Ward would find an opening and get a hand up to block the field goal attempt to keep it a one-score game. San Francisco would use the little momentum gathered from the big stop on special-teams by fueling their first scoring-drive of the game as Deebo Samuel ignited a spark with a 45-yard kick return to open the second half. The 49ers seemed destined to find the end zone at last, but a penalty for face-masking by the ball carrier Elijah Mitchell would pin the offense back another 15-yards. An additional infraction on the very next play for illegal-formation would force the 49ers to settle for a field goal which made it a 7-3 ballgame. 

After a successful field goal from Crosby to open the fourth quarter for Green Bay, San Francisco's offense would make another trip inside the red zone before a gamble by coach Shanahan on a 4th and 1 from the 19 yard-line. Dialing up a run play to Mitchell, the 49ers run game was stuffed as they turned the ball over on downs. But just like the two turnovers prior, the ensuing offense would fail to do anything of note. Following an 11-yard sack by Niners defensive-tackle Arik Armstead who brought down Rodgers for his second time of the night, the Packers were pinned back deep near their own end zone for a punt when San Francisco's special-teams came through once again. Getting a hand on the punt by Corey Bojorquez was defensive-end Jordan Willis who came up with the huge block that sent everyone in a frenzy, unsure of where the ball would land. After it was all said and done, Niners rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga recovered the ball cleanly and walked it into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. The blocked punt touchdown would be the first of its kind in 49ers franchise history in the playoffs and the first career touchdown for Hufanga. In front of a stunned Lambeau Field, the 49ers who had crept back into a game they showed little life in thru much of the first three and a half quarters, suddenly found themselves in prime position to steal another playoff victory from the grasps of Aaron Rodgers, all while riding multiple big plays on special-teams which had been their Achilles heel virtually all season long. Instead, that weakness was now winning them a must-win game. 

After forcing a three and out punt on Green Bay's following drive, Jimmy Garoppolo would get yet another chance to silence the critics as the offense began to march. No one play would be bigger than the one from the Green Bay 38 yard-line as the Niners faced a 3rd and 7. Handing the ball off to Deebo Samuel, San Francisco's secret weapon dashed for a 9-yard gain to pick up the monumental first down, setting up some late-game heroics from veteran kicker Robbie Gould. Stepping up to attempt the biggest kick of his career with a trip to the NFC Championship on the line, Gould would split the uprights from 45-yards out to complete the walk-off victory for the 49ers. Sending his team to the next round, the kick would be Gould's 20th made field goal in as many tries in the postseason, the most makes without a miss in the Super Bowl era. With the win, San Francisco improved to 7-5 all-time in the playoffs vs #1 seeds and are 1 of 5 franchises with a winning record in such games. Becoming the first team since the 1988 Buffalo Bills to block a field goal and a punt in the same playoff game, coach Shanahan's Niners became just the fourth team since 2000 to win a playoff game without an offensive touchdown. 

While neither team's quarterback wowed us with their statistics on Saturday (Garoppolo: 11 of 19 for 131 yards passing and 1 interception, Rodgers: 20 of 29 for 225 yards), the game did a lot for the overall postseason record of both QB's. What's likely to be the end of the road for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, the future Hall of Fame QB and favorite to take home the MVP Award this season for a second consecutive season, has now fallen to 0-4 vs the 49ers in the playoffs, the worst record by any QB vs a single team in the playoffs since 1950. The loss also drops Rodgers to a mediocre 11-10 in his career as a starter in the playoffs and 7-9 since his lone Super Bowl win back in 2010. Though he did manage to surpass his mentor Brett Favre (5,855) for the 4th-most postseason passing yards in NFL history. Entering the game needing 1 passing touchdown to surpass 49ers great Joe Montana for 2nd-most playoff passing TD's in NFL history, Rodgers who was sacked five times by the 49ers defense, was held touchdown-less for the first time in a playoff game since the 2010 NFC Championship win vs the rival Chicago Bears. Unfortunately for him, his Packers have now lost 7 playoff games at home over the last 20 seasons which are the most in the NFL in that span. 

As for his counterpart, Garoppolo now owns a career record of 21-6 (.778) as a starter on the road, 2nd-highest win percentage in the NFL since the 1970 merger, including playoffs with a minimum of 25 starts. Garoppolo is also 4-1 in his career as a starter in the playoffs, the highest postseason win percentage as a starting QB in 49ers history. Following Saturday's game, California teams are now 3-12 when playing in Green Bay during the months of December and January since 1950, including playoffs. The team that has won all three times? -- the 49ers. 

49ers-Rams Preview: The stage is now set for the NFC Championship as the 49ers will travel to southern California to face the Los Angeles Rams for a third time this season in a battle between division rivals. While the Niners swept the season series against the Rams this season and are riding a six-game winning streak against their fellow NFC West counterparts, beating anybody three times in a season doesn't happen often and certainly doesn't come easy. After taking out the rival Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round, the Rams knocked off Tom Brady and the defending champion Buccaneers in Tampa, but not before another blown lead and some late drama. If the last match-up between these two teams which took place just three weeks ago is any indication of how things will play out in the NFC title game, San Francisco should feel right at home as their fans showed up in droves for the regular season-finale. However, the Rams are trying to put a stop to that and avoid a repeat of another red and gold invasion as they've teamed up with NFL partners Ticket Master to cancel fans outside of the greater Los Angeles area from purchasing tickets to the big game. Scared, much? With a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line in the same stadium that they'll be in this weekend, Shanahan and the 49ers will look to make it a seventh consecutive victory over Sean McVay and the Rams. 

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49ers Beat Cowboys in Wild Playoff Win

Super Wild Card Weekend - A day after the 26th anniversary of the San Francisco 49ers beating the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 NFC Championship that punched the Niners' ticket to Super Bowl 29, the two teams would renew their rivalries in the playoffs on Sunday, marking the first time since 1998 that both teams made the playoffs in the same season. In the first playoff meeting between these two storied franchises since three straight bouts in the NFC Championship from 1992-94, Sunday's game would be another classic in the long standing rivalry. In fact, the last four times the 49ers and Cowboys met in the playoffs, the winner went on to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and win the Super Bowl (1981, 1992, 1993, 1994). 

Entering the game facing a Dallas Cowboys (12-5) team that made history by becoming just the third team since 1960 to lead the NFL in total offense, scoring offense and takeaways, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers (10-7) squad knew their first round opponent would not be a walk in the park. However, through much of the game and most of the first half, San Francisco would have their way with Dallas on both sides of the ball. Receiving the opening-kickoff and starting the game on offense, the 49ers' success since the second half of the season would roll right into their first possession of the ball game as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo helped orchestrate a touchdown-scoring drive right out of the gates. Taking a stranglehold from the first play on, the 49ers found the end zone with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from rookie running back Elijah Mitchell. Equally as impressive would be San Francisco's defense, starting the game with a QB sack on 3rd and long to force a Dallas punt. Adding a pair of Robbie Gould field goals on each of their next two possessions, the 49ers would quickly jump out to a 13-0 advantage. 

Dallas' high-powered offense was held off the scoreboard and out of the end zone for the entire first quarter, a trend Cowboys fans have grown accustomed to considering the dubious streak has now reached seven straight home playoff games in which the Cowboys have failed to score a 1st quarter touchdown. You'd have trace back to the 1996 Wild Card game to find the last touchdown scored by a Cowboy in the first quarter -- a 2-yard TD run by Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman. However, it wouldn't be long before Dallas' league-best offense eventually found the end zone as Dak Prescott hit Amari Cooper in the end zone for a 20-yard score. Adding another field goal to give the Niner offense four straight scoring-drives to start the game, San Francisco went into their locker room at the half boasting a 16-7 lead. While confident with a double-digit lead at the half, the 49ers knew first-hand that they could not take their foot off the pedal after being in a similar predicament themselves a week ago when the roles were reversed and the Niners found themselves in a 17-0 hole to the division rival Rams. 

With both teams exchanging punts to open the second half, the 49er defense would force the game's first turnover when a Dak Prescott pass was intercepted by K'Waun Williams who had missed the season-finale against the Rams after being placed in Covid protocols. Returning to the field in a big way, the San Francisco offense knew just what to do with the takeaway. Following the turnover, receiver Deebo Samuel went up to coach Shanahan and demanded the ball on the very next play. The first time All-Pro wide-out would get his wish and the ball, taking it 26-yards to the house for a touchdown to put his team ahead, 23-7. Looking to put the rare Prescott interception behind them and his first since Week 14, it wouldn't be until the fourth quarter when Dallas would finally piece together some success. After adding a Greg Zuerlein field goal to make it a 23-10 ballgame thanks to a successful fake-punt attempt, the Cowboys would find themselves a golden opportunity after an errant pass from Garoppolo was picked off on San Francisco's ensuing possession. Capitalizing on the turnover just like the Niners did, Dak and company would make it a six-point game as the Cowboys signal-caller ran it in himself for a 5-yard score. 

Leading 23-17, the 49ers suddenly found themselves in a vulnerable position after suffering a trio of injuries on defense as Jordan Willis (ankle) and Pro Bowlers Nick Bosa (concussion) and Fred Warner (ankle) were all forced to leave the game with injuries. After San Francisco failed to make it a two-score game, the 49er defense would be asked to step up and deliver a much needed stop. Facing a 4th and 11 near midfield, the Niners D would answer the call by forcing a turnover on downs. In need of a big first down, the 49ers thought they had the game won on a handoff to Deebo Samuel as the referees called on the chain gang and gave him a first down that would've sealed the win. However, further review would show Deebo just shy of the first down marker, bringing up 4th and inches. Dialing up a QB-sneak, Garoppolo appeared to gain the first down, but not before a false start penalty on Trent Williams. Punting the ball back to Dallas, the Cowboys would get one final shot with 40-seconds remaining and no timeouts left. Prescott and company would move the chains on back to back completions of 20 and 10 yards, before a 9 yard pass got them to the 50 yard-line. But it would be there where the Cowboys turned into their own worst enemy and the drama intensified as Prescott ran up the middle for a 17-yard gain. Unbeknownst to them, the Dallas o-line ran to the line of scrimmage at the San Francisco 24 yard-line and attempted to spike the ball with 1-second remaining, but failed to allow the official to set the ball before hiking it as the game-clock hit double-zero.  

Escaping Dallas by the skin of their teeth and avoiding heartbreak, the 49ers punched their ticket to the next round with the 23-17 victory. Leading the way on offense, San Francisco's ground attack which ranks 7th-best in the league, rushed for 169 yards compared to Dallas' 77. While Elijah Mitchell rushed for a game-high 96 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, Deebo Samuel was not far behind. Deebo who became the first 49ers wide-receiver to score a rushing touchdown in a playoff game since at least 1950, continued his historic season by rushing for 72 yards, the most rush yards by a WR in a playoff game in the Super Bowl era, while adding a rushing touchdown of his own. Samuel would also add another 38 yards on 3 receptions to put him over the century mark in total yards. The 49ers offensive-line welcomed back All-Pro Trent Williams from his elbow injury after missing Week 18, and were able to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (16 of 25 pass attempts, 172 yards, 1 interception) on his feet all afternoon long by registering a clean game with zero sacks allowed. In comparison, the San Francisco defense pressured Dallas QB Dak Prescott (23 of 43, 254 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) into five sacks on the day. 

After leading the league in penalties and ranking No. 2 in penalty yards during the regular season, the Cowboys did not do themselves any favors on Sunday, committing a total of 14 infractions which tied them for the second-most penalties all-time in a playoff game and the most ever in a playoff loss. All of which helped contribute to Dallas' loss which now means the Cowboys have not made it to the NFC Championship since their last Super Bowl-winning season in 1995, setting a dubious record of 11 straight playoff appearances without reaching the Conference Championship. Having feasted on inferior opponents all season long within their own division (6-0 vs NFC East, 6-5 vs the rest of the league), the Cowboys proved once again under head coach Mike McCarthy that they were unable to answer the call against a battle-tested 49ers team that has been playing their best ball since getting off to a 3-5 start to the season. 

Niners-Packers Preview: Advancing to the next round, the 49ers will head to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field where they'll face off against the No. 1 seeded Green Bay Packers. Entering the showdown with the reigning MVP in Aaron Rodgers who could very well earn his second straight MVP Award and his fourth overall this season, the 49ers have a chance to avenge their first loss of the season -- a 30-28 last-second defeat at Levi's Stadium back in Week 3. Winners in 8 of their last 10 games following Sunday's playoff win over Dallas, the 49ers will look to deny the Northern California native Aaron Rodgers for a fourth time in the playoffs. Opposite of Rodgers who will be facing the team he grew up rooting for, will be Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo who is listed to have a "slightly" sprained right shoulder, but is expected to play in time for Saturday's game. San Francisco defensive-end Nick Bosa will also be worth keeping an eye on as he sits in concussion protocol after leaving Sunday's game late in the second quarter. As for their former All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, what was originally feared to be a knee injury, turned out to be an ankle injury that shouldn't keep the durable defensive leader out of next week's game. 

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