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Christian McCaffrey (23) scored what would be the game-winning touchdown for the 49ers over the Packers. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

49ers survive scare from Packers to reach NFC championship game

Updated January 20, 2024 at 11:23 p.m. EST|Published January 20, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. EST
3 min

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For most of the second half, when it appeared the San Francisco 49ers were going to blow it, the more than 71,000 fans in rain-soaked red at Levi’s Stadium were sullen. They were dampened on third down and after big plays.

But when Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love rolled to his right and heaved a pass over the middle, when it landed in the hands of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, the stadium erupted with a roar and waving towels. Just moments earlier, Christian McCaffrey had capped a 69-yard drive with a go-ahead six-yard touchdown with 1:07 left. After Greenlaw’s pick, at last, 49ers fans realized this star-studded roster wouldn’t collapse, that a Super Bowl favorite with five all-pros wouldn’t be done in by a first-year starting quarterback leading a team that didn’t qualify for the playoffs until the season’s final day.

So, on Saturday night, top-seeded San Francisco beat No. 7 seed Green Bay, 24-21, in an NFC divisional-round game and moved one step closer to the Super Bowl with its chief rivals for most of the season — Philadelphia and Dallas — already eliminated.

The NFL playoffs are in the divisional round. Here’s what you need to know.

Green Bay tried to bully San Francisco from the start but failed to finish in the red zone on its first three possessions. The 49ers’ offense looked sluggish, and star wide receiver Deebo Samuel left with a shoulder injury. But the NFL’s most explosive offense needed only an opening or two — and quarterback Brock Purdy hit tight end George Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown.

Late in the second quarter, 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan tried to “lap” the Packers, meaning score just before halftime and then get the ball back to start the second half. Shanahan loves the strategy, but it sometimes makes him conservative — as it did Saturday night.

With San Francisco just across midfield, Shanahan effectively allowed a minute to drain off the clock as he played for a long field goal. It was a bold strategy considering the night’s heavy rain and rookie Jake Moody’s shakiness beyond 40 yards during the regular season (6 for 9).

The approach backfired. Moody’s 48-yard attempt was blocked, leaving the 49ers’ lead at 7-6, and San Francisco went three-and-out on the first possession of the second half.

Then came the fireworks. Green Bay’s offense finally surged for a 19-yard touchdown to receiver Bo Melton and a 13-7 lead. San Francisco counterpunched with a 39-yard scoring run by McCaffrey. Green Bay broke through in the red zone on tight end Tucker Kraft’s two-yard score — and a two-point conversion gave the Packers a 21-14 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Moody shaved the deficit with a 52-yard field goal, and the Packers couldn’t extend their lead because kicker Anders Carlson hooked one left from 41.

That proved to be a fatal mistake.

— Sam Fortier

Find highlights and analysis from Saturday’s playoff action below.

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The 49ers will face the winner of tomorrow's Lions-Buccaneers game in the NFC championship.
The Ravens will face the winner of tomorrow’s Bills-Chiefs game in the AFC championship. Baltimore used a dominant second half and a standout showing by quarterback Lamar Jackson to beat the Houston Texans, 34-10, and move a step closer to its first Super Bowl since the 2012 season.
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The 49ers will face the winner of tomorrow's Lions-Buccaneers game in the NFC championship.
The Ravens will face the winner of tomorrow’s Bills-Chiefs game in the AFC championship. Baltimore used a dominant second half and a standout showing by quarterback Lamar Jackson to beat the Houston Texans, 34-10, and move a step closer to its first Super Bowl since the 2012 season.
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