What we learned in 49ers’ comeback playoff win over Packers

What we learned in 49ers’ comeback playoff win over Packers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — Exactly which team was the top seed? And which was the last to qualify for the NFC playoffs?

The longer the Green Bay Packers hung around, the tighter the 49ers appeared to get in their NFC divisional round game Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.

But the 49ers’ offense turned it on when it was needed to stay alive.

Running back Christian McCaffrey scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 67 seconds remaining to provide the winning points in a 24-21 victory over the Packers.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw had two interceptions, including one in the final minute to clinch the victory.

The 49ers move on to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 28, against the winner of the Tampa Bay-Detroit game, which will be played Sunday at Ford Field.

Here are three takeaways from the 49ers’ 10th playoff matchup against Green Bay:

Purdy’s struggles

Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense were completely out of sync all night.

Was it the layoff? Was it rust? No, it was just poor execution and all-around bad play.

Purdy was either off-target or was not on the same page of his intended targets. Or, more likely, a combination of both.

The 49ers got off to a rough beginning, and it never really got too much better . . . until late in the fourth quarter.

Purdy engineered a 12-play, 69-yard drive that McCaffrey finished off with his touchdown run to provide the 49ers with the winning points.

Purdy ended the game with 23 completions on 39 attempts for 252 yards and one touchdown pass.

Purdy misfired on some early passes, including a first-drive throw over the middle for Brandon Aiyuk that could have and should have been intercepted.

Despite getting dominated in the early going of the game, the 49ers took the lead with 8:42 remaining in the second quarter when Purdy found tight end George Kittle open against the coverage of Packers safety Darnell Savage for a 32-yard…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-49ers-comeback-playoff-win-050442860.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-01-21 05:04:42

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