The San Francisco 49ers just completed a wild divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers. As the top seed in the NFC, the 49ers had Super Bowl aspirations this year. Thanks to some last-minute heroics, San Francisco is heading back to the NFC Championship for the third straight time.
Christian McCaffrey Was Heroic
In a game that saw star WR Deebo Samuel go down, it forced other key players to step up. One of them was 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. He scored what would be the game-winning touchdown with 1:07 remaining in the game. That also happened to be McCaffrey’s second rushing touchdown of the game.
Crazy Third Quarter
Considering the halftime score was just 7-6, the third quarter certainly dialed it up a notch. It started with a 19-yard touchdown pass for the Packers from Jordan Love to Bo Melton. The 49ers responded less than two minutes later with a 39-yard touchdown run from McCaffrey.
After that, the Packers had a 73-yard kickoff return by Keisean Nixon. Despite fumbling the ball during the return, Green Bay still recovered. Shortly after that, Love threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. On top of this, Aaron Jones converted a two-point conversion.
Green Bay Packers Mistakes
Despite a 21-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, three crucial errors in the second half allowed this game to slip away for the Green Bay Packers. So, what were those crucial errors?
Love threw an interception near midfield that allowed the 49ers to drive down the field and kick a field goal. This is something the Packers failed to do after that, as kicker Anders Carlson missed an easy 41-yard field goal that could have allowed Green Bay to go up by seven. This was costly, as the 49ers later took a 24-21 lead thanks to McCaffrey.
Jordan Love got the ball back one last time after that. However, he threw a pass in what was a desperation attempt that ended up being intercepted. This spelled the end of the season for the Green Bay Packers.
San Francisco 49ers Moving Forward
The 49ers now get set for their third straight NFC Championship and their fourth in the last five seasons. Unlike their last two appearances, they get to host this time. Now, they await the winner of the Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
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