1. All three stages of football propelled the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. San Francisco was far from starting on the offensive with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing an ugly interception to end a promising scoring drive, and throwing a few more risky passes throughout the competition. When it mattered most, however, Garoppolo was able to rely on his most important weapons: George Kittel and Dibo Samuel. Defensively, the 49ers responded to an unsuccessful fourth-down attempt by closing the ensuing drive to Green Bay, closing the effort with a sack from Aaron Rodgers. The most important game came on special teams—an area in which the Packers have been the worst in the NFL this season—when San Francisco overwhelmed Green Bay long snapper Steven Wirtel, asking Jordan Willis to block Corey Bjorkez's punt. freed for San Francisco recovered the live ball for a score, tying a game that was destined to end in the final 10–3. Finally, when it came time to secure the win, Robbie Gould answered the call. With a helmet heated by a sideline heater and a leg that never missed in the postseason, Gould drilled 45-yards through the snow-covered field uphill (his second attempt of the game), Sent 49 people to the conference. Consolidating the title game and an ugly, but complete victory for the upstart 49ers.
2. Another year and another disappointing end for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Green Bay knows what it's like to lose to San Francisco in the playoffs, but the legend of entering the game promised better results. The year felt different for the top-seeded Packers, and a vigorous opening scoring drive indicated it may be coming true. But as the Packers have done too often this season, they aggressively entered a rut, allowing the struggling 49ers to hang around long enough to be on their way to a game-changing play . Green Bay did not respond to San Francisco's blocking punt to return it for a touchdown, and neither was able to close a grueling call to hand Samuel on third and -7. By the time Gould lined up for a game-winning field goal, it felt like the only thing that could save the Packers from another post-season failure was prayer. Only those answers were generated in the opposite direction, sending Rodgers and his highly procrastinating companions home once again empty handed. We've spent more than a decade listening to Rodgers and the Packers on their missed opportunities, and it seems even bigger than the rest.
3. DeMeco Ryans is on a roll. The San Francisco first-year defensive coordinator now assembled two brilliant game plans over several weeks, closing out the NFL's No. 1 offense on Super Wild Card Weekend and then limiting the Rodgers-led Packers offense to a grand total. has done. 10 points. After covering a distance of 69 yards in 10 plays and it was handed over to A.J. Dillon touchdown run, Packers never again entered painted territory. Green Bay converted only 5 of the 12 third-down attempts, receiving an offense of less than 275 yards and surrendering a total of 5 sacks. San Francisco's defensive front only appeared to strengthen as the game progressed, allowing the game fewer than 70 rushing yards. And when the game was tied late, Ryan's unit shone, which forced Rodgers to finish second and prevent him from finding Davante Adams deep for third and long. Adams finished with nine catches for 90 yards out of the end zone, and Rodgers didn't toss a single touchdown pass all night. With San Francisco going through it on the offensive for the most part of the game, the defense lowered the load, keeping the game long within reach, creating a crucial late game for the 49ers. The pace shift was too much for the Packers to handle, and could never have come had Ryan's unit withered. That didn't happen, and the 49ers are on course to reach the Super Bowl with a massive upset victory over the NFC favorites.
4. Dibo Samuel remains the most valuable 49er. Samuel fell for 100 scrimmage yards, but that doesn't accurately tell the story of his contribution. Samuel caught three passes for 44 yards, returned a kick for 50, which ended in a gold field goal, and took the ball 10 times for 39 yards. His most important game came on third and -7, when Kyle Shanahan boldly dialed a handoff to Samuel, who gained nine yards and left a little more than a minute for the 49ers. After three plays, Gold was kicking the 49ers in front of the Packers. They couldn't have gotten there without the contribution of Samuel, a player who has once again proved his credibility in the biggest moments.
5. Another off-season of intrigue and potential drama lies ahead in Green Bay. It was the Packers team that had to get Rodgers over the hump in the Super Bowl, equipped to bring Green Bay their first Lombardi trophy since the 2010 season. Instead they went into an early off-season with nothing to show for their efforts, except a No. 1 seed which they wasted by losing at home in the divisional round. Rodgers is growing up no younger and his replacement is already on the roster, and although Jordan Love hasn't shown much to inspire confidence, he is ready to take the time to buy Rodgers and his modified fence. Many more chances of a title chase with the Packers management also not going to slow down. This season was going well. And the Packers were content to have their future Hall of Famer as their leader. However, this again left him empty handed. Be prepared for lots of questions about Green Bay's plans for the future and Rodgers' intentions. A surprise loss means the Packers have again failed to hand Rodgers a second title, which leaves us with no clear answer as to how Green Bay will proceed.
NFL Research: With Saturday's loss to San Francisco, Aaron Rodgers became the only quarterback in NFL history to make four playoff starts from an opponent.
The state of the game's next generation: The 49ers increased their chances of victory by 25 percent on their blocked punts, returning for game-tying touchdowns in the fourth quarter, increasing from 16 percent to 41 percent.