49ers write latest chapter in list of clutch playoff wins; Packers suffer fifth recent defeat with late lead

The top-seeded San Francisco 49ers’ fifth consecutive playoff win over the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers, a 24-21 rollercoaster of a contest in the NFC Divisional Round, continued a trend of clutch play for the 49ers come playoff time and another run of late-game playoff misery for the Packers.

Both franchises have 37 playoff wins, tied with the New England Patriots for the most in NFL history, but their recent postseason journeys couldn’t be more different. The 49ers will appear in their fourth NFC Championship game in the last five seasons while the Packers suffered their NFL-most fifth playoff loss with a lead in the final five minutes. 

Saturday night was also the second postseason game in a row against the 49ers in which such a defeat has occurred for Green Bay. The Packers led 21-17 with just over six minutes left to play Saturday night, but after rookie kicker Anders Carlson hooked a field goal attempted wide left, the 49ers marched down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a six-yard Christian McCaffrey plunge into the end zone with 67 seconds left to play. A Jordan Love interception on the ensuing drive killed their comeback hopes. 

Green Bay dropped the two teams’ most recent meeting prior to this season by a 13-10 score up in Lambeau Field when the Packers were the NFC’s top seed, and San Francisco was the sixth seed. They led 10-3 for most of the fourth quarter, but then a blocked punt with 4:41 left in the game was returned for a touchdown by 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga, which tied the game. Then-San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould drilled the game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired in what became both Aaron Rodgers’ and Davante Adams’ final postseason game with the Packers. 

Other Green Bay postseason face plants with the lead in the final five minutes includes a litany of head-scratching defeats. An electrifying 26-20 NFC Divisional Round loss at the…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/49ers-write-latest-chapter-in-list-of-clutch-playoff-wins-packers-suffer-fifth-recent-defeat-with-late-lead/

Author : Garrett Podell

Publish date : 2024-01-21 13:43:54

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