After a tense game on a snowy Lambeau Field, the San Francisco 49ers are headed to the NFC Championship game after defeating the Green Bay Packers 13-10 courtesy of a 45-yard Robbie Gould field goal with less than 10 seconds left.
The loss leaves Aaron Rodgers with an 0-4 record versus the 49ers in the playoffs. The game may also prove to be his last in a Packers jersey as an uncertain offseason awaits.
The two teams battled it out in a physical matchup that came down to the wire, but the 49ers held on throughout the game to win it in the dying seconds. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 131 yards but leaned on his best weapon Deebo Samuel, who made big plays on his way to racking up 83 total yards.
The Packers tried all they could but came up short as Aaron Rodgers threw for 225 yards with no touchdowns. And though Aaron Jones ran rampant for 170 total yards and Davante Adams picked up 90 receiving yards, San Francisco’s defense stood firm.
While the offense and defense played well, the 49ers special teams unit was the difference they needed to win the game.
First, Jimmie Ward swatted a field goal attempt at the end of the first half to keep it a one-possession game. Then, in perhaps the biggest play of the game, the 49ers special teams blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game 10-10.
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San Francisco will now play either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC Championship. In what may be Garoppolo’s last season in San Francisco, the 49ers may be catching fire at just the right time.