McCaffrey rallies 49ers to a playoff win over Packers
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) scores a touchdown in the 4th quarter during an NFC Divisional Round Playoff Game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. The 49ers won 24-21.Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
2024.01.20 – Christian McCaffrey capped a game-winning, 69-yard drive by running for his second touchdown with 1:07 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers held on to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in a divisional-round thriller on Saturday night.
On a game when Brock Purdy’s throws were off-target all night and the San Francisco defense kept giving up big plays. There were even a couple of special teams blunders.
Just when it seemed like the top-seeded 49ers might be sent home in their first playoff game, they did something they hadn’t managed to do all season: mount a late-game comeback.
“We’re built for those moments,” McCaffrey said. “We didn’t play well at all but still had a chance at the end. To go out there and execute is a sign of a high character team.”
After spending all regular season as front-runners, the Niners (13-5) rallied behind Purdy and McCaffrey to reach their third straight NFC championship game. And they will host it this time after losing the past two on the road. San Francisco will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Tampa Bay and Detroit next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl.
2024.01.20 (SF 49ers vs. GB Packers) Game Highlights
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs for a gain against the Green Bay Packers in the second quarter during an NFC Divisional Round Playoff Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024.Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
2024.01.20 (SF 49ers vs. GB Packers) Game (FL-Highlights)
2024.01.21 – 49ers vs. Packers (49ers Wake Up with Bruce & Krueger)
2024.01.21 – 49ers vs. Packers (49ers Wake Up with Bruce & Krueger)
Purdy went 6 for 7 for 47 yards on the decisive drive, converting a third down with a 10-yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk and throwing a 17-yarder to Chris Conley.
“Obviously it’s four quarters for a reason, you know? So the way I started, it’s like, ‘Man, I’ve got to be better, got to play efficient football,’” Purdy said. “But when it comes down to it, with the season on the line, you’ve got to make it happen for your boys around you.”
McCaffrey finished it off with his 6-yard run on third-and-short and the 49ers’ defense held on from there, with Dre Greenlaw intercepting Jordan Love for the second time to seal San Francisco’s fifth straight playoff win over Green Bay (10-9).
“We feel exhausted,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “That took everything. It took everyone. We knew it’d be a close game. That’s a heck of a team. They give us everything. This is the playoffs. We knew we had to find a way to win no matter what.”
That last throw across his body was one of the few mistakes by Love, who had given the Packers the lead with two TD passes in the third quarter. But his first full season as the starter in place of Aaron Rodgers had a disappointing ending.
“It’s tough,” Love said. “Very tough. We had an opportunity to win that game and didn’t capitalize on it. It’s a tough way to end the season.”
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (NBC Sports-Post Game)
Brock Purdy (13) throws to Christian McCaffrey (23) late in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the Green Bay Packers in an NFL NFC divisional playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, on Saturday, January 20, 2024.Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (NBC Sports-Post Game)
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (NBC Sports-Post Game)
Purdy — who struggled with his accuracy early on a rainy night — threw for 252 yards and a touchdown, and McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries.
Love put the Niners in the unusual spot of playing from behind. Green Bay converted a third-and-15 when Ambry Thomas was called for a 41-yard pass interference penalty against Bo Melton. Love and Melton connected on the next play for a wide-open 19-yard touchdown aided by Tashaun Gipson slipping on the wet grass in coverage.
After McCaffrey put San Francisco back in the lead with a 39-yard TD run, Green Bay struck quickly thanks to a 73-yard kick return by All-Pro Keisean Nixon that he fumbled, only to have teammate Eric Wilson recover.
Four plays later, Love threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tucket Kraft and the Packers extended the lead to 21-14 on a 2-point conversion pass to Aaron Jones.
“It was the story of our whole team,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “There was times when we were all off.”
The Niners were the first team to make the playoffs in 13 seasons without overcoming a second-half deficit to win a game.
They got a 52-yard field goal from Jake Moody on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it a four-point game, and it stayed there when rookie Anders Carlson missed a 41-yarder for Green Bay.
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (Damon Bruce – Post Game)
George Kittle (85) celebrates after scoring a touchdown as the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in an NFL NFC divisional playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, on Saturday, January 20, 2024.Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (Damon Bruce – Post Game)
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (Damon Bruce – Post Game)
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (Krueger & Crew-Post Game)
2024.01.20 – 49ers vs. Packers (Krueger & Crew-Post Game)
The Packers moved the ball easily in the first half, getting into the red zone on three straight drives to open the game. But they couldn’t finishing any of them off, setting for two field goals and getting stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak. They became the first team in 20 years to reach the red zone on their first three drives of a playoff game without getting a TD.
The Niners made them pay for that with Purdy hitting George Kittle on a 32-yard pass on the run for a TD that gave San Francisco the lead.
But San Francisco squandered another chance late in the half when Shanahan wasted time before settling for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Moody that was blocked by Colby Wooden to send the Niners into the half with a 7-6 lead.
Jones finished with 108 yards on 18 carries for the Packers, and Love was 21 of 34 for 194 yards for the Packers, who overcame a 2-5 start to the season to make it this far.
“For us to lose this game certainly stings and I’m sure it’s going to sting for a long time,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “But I was proud of the effort of our guys, our ability to weather some real adversity throughout the course of the season and stick together.”
INJURIES
Packers: RT Zach Tom left in the third quarter to get checked for a head injury and didn’t return.
49ers: WR Deebo Samuel injured his shoulder on the opening drive and missed most of the game.
UP NEXT
Green Bay: The off-season.
49ers: Will play the Detroit Lions next Sunday for a spot in the Super Bowl. A Conference home game at Levi’s Stadium January 28, 2024.
2024.01.22 – Pre – 49ers vs. Lions (49ers Wake Up with Bruce & Krueger)
2024.01.22 – Pre – 49ers vs. Lions (49ers Wake Up with Bruce & Krueger)
49ers defenders must show Lions they’re the ‘baddest guys’
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was held without a sack by the Packers last week, but says keeping pressure on the opposing QB can be just as valuable as bringing the passer down.
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
Updated: 2024.01.27 – The San Francisco 49ers failed to register a sack in last week’s 24-21 divisional-round win over the Packers. That hadn’t happened in their previous 35 playoff games, an NFL-record streak that began in January 1991.
In addition, the 49ers allowed a 100-yard rusher against Green Bay. That hadn’t happened in their previous 50 games, a streak that had been the NFL’s longest active run and began in October 2021.
The response from the members of a long-dominant defense that didn’t play its best on a big stage and were termed the “baddest guys on the planet” by safety Tashaun Gipson after a 30-7 season-opening romp in Pittsburgh? It sounded even odder than their performance looked.
The reply from All-Pro pass rusher Nick Bosa when asked if the zero-sack performance was deemed “unacceptable”? Bosa, the $170 million man who headlines the NFL’s highest-paid defensive line, referenced the 49ers’ six hits on Packers QB Jordan Love.
“Affecting the quarterback in different ways,” Bosa said, “can be just as valuable as sacks.”
The 49ers certainly didn’t sound ticked about falling short of their lofty standard in a playoff game, but that won’t matter if their actions are stronger than their pre-kickoff words Sunday in the NFC Championship Game against the Lions at Levi’s Stadium.
2024.01.27 – 49ers vs. Lions (49ers Wake Up with Bruce & Krueger)
2024.01.27 – 49ers vs. Lions (49ers Wake Up with Bruce & Krueger)
The 49ers, who allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL, will face one of their toughest tests in Detroit. The Lions had the league’s third-ranked offense and feature All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Pro Bowl rookie tight end Sam LaPorta and a thunder-and-lightning backfield duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Their attack is headlined by QB Jared Goff, who ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (4,575) while being protected by an offensive line that includes All-Pros in right tackle Penei Sewell and center Frank Ragnow. The Lions allowed 31 sacks, tied for the fourth-fewest in the league.
Goff is 0-5 and has posted a 76.8 passer rating in his past five starts against the 49ers. Goff’s passer ratings in three victorious starts that preceded his current winless streak: 121.6, 127.4 and 145.8.
The 49ers stressed that Goff, who is among the NFL’s least mobile QBs, can pick them apart if they don’t apply pressure.
“If you sit and make things easy for him, he will gash you,” Shanahan said. “I’ve seen it over and over. … You better be on your stuff or he can embarrass you fast.”
Said Bosa: “You cover up his first couple reads and get after him and hit him a few times, it changes things a little bit.”
2024.01.27 – Detroit Lions Just BROKE The NFL… (FL-Highlights)
2024.01.27 – Detroit Lions Just BROKE The NFL… (FL-Highlights)
Finally, defensive end Chase Young struggled to force runs inside, allowing Jones to get to the sideline on sweeps.
“I think Chase did some good things on Saturday,” Wilks said. “We all need to improve.”
For his part, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner was the only prominent member of the defense to publicly strike an urgent note. He made it clear the no-sack postseason performance that included a 100-yard rusher and left them with old issues to address wasn’t acceptable.
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line Sunday, Warner is imploring his teammates to summon something special.
“The time for, ‘Hey, guys, let’s get better. Let’s get better this week’ — that’s kind of over with,” Warner said. “You’ve got to perform at your best now when your best is needed. It’s time to really put it out here and lead from the front. If we want to win this game, I’m putting it all on the defense’s hands. I’m saying all we need to do is score three on offense and we’re going to win it for us.”
Related: A new 49ers-Packers rivalry – Brock Purdy vs Jordan Love
Related: See below – 49ers Mostert Epic Dash to Super Bowl!
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.
