The 49ers are the NFC Champions after taking down the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in a rainy, messy game that was defined by a couple of huge plays that were otherwise defined by check-down throws, short runs, and missed opportunities for both teams.
In the end, the 49ers made more plays to come up on top, but there was a moment where it felt like San Francisco made a mistake so big it very well could have been the difference in the game. Before the end of the first half, the Niners got too conservative with their time management and it very easily could have been the difference in the game.
A Clinic on How Not to Run a 2 Minute Offense
Up 7-6 late in the first half, and with the ball at their own 40-yard line with 2:38 left in the half, the 49ers elected to let the clock run all the way down to the 2-minute warning. After the 2-minute warning, the 49ers continued to run their offense slowly, only getting two plays off the next 41 seconds.
Following a tackle out of bounds to stop the clock with 1:19 left in the half, the 49ers elected to run up the middle and run the play clock once again all the way down to one second before taking a timeout, leaving only 34 seconds left on the clock.
That kick was blocked. The real issue is Kyle’s time management was less than stellar there.
— Sal Castaneda (@sal_castaneda) January 21, 2024
Following a first down and another timeout, Brock Purdy threw a pass down the middle for eight yards and had to spike the ball to avoid taking their final timeout with only 14 seconds left. An incomplete pass on the next play resulted in a 4th down and 1 where they were forced to kick a field goal with only ten seconds left.
The kick was deflected and soared, leaving no good.
The slow pace of play left fans wondering what would have happened had the team not been so conservative in trying to prevent Green Bay and had instead used time management to try to be aggressive and put themselves in a spot to score a touchdown or set up for a shorter field goal.
Kyle Shanahan and Time Management
It was mentioned on the live broadcast, but it is no secret that Kyle Shanahan likes to control the end of the half and prevent any quick drives by opposing teams. Sometimes, this works extremely well, but in this situation where the rain was coming down and it was unlikely that Green Bay was going to really try to go 75+ yards in a minute or less, it seems very questionable that the 49ers were as conservative as they were to end the half.
Later in the game, it appeared that Shanahan was not going to make the same mistake again as the final drive of the game was called to follow the flow and momentum of the game as opposed to doing their best to make sure Green Bay wouldn’t get the ball back.
McCaffrey ended up scoring on a six-yard run with 1:07 remaining on the clock, giving Jordan Love one more chance. The moment may have gotten a little too big for the first-year full-time starter, and he made the grave mistake of throwing deep across his body, ending in an interception by Dre Greenlaw that essentially ended the game.
What’s Next?
San Francisco will await the winner of Detroit and Tampa Bay tomorrow at 3:00 PM ET. Regardless of the result, the 49ers will host the game. The biggest storyline this week for the team will be the condition and availability of Deebo Samuels. Samuels did not play in the second half of tonight’s game after hurting his shoulder in the first half.
The Green Bay Packers season is over. However, fans and management will feel confident going into next season confident in their quarterback, Jordan Love. There were a lot of questions coming into the season, but Love showed he is more than capable of leading this team long-term.
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