The NFC Championship was finally here. The 13-3 and #1 seed San Francisco 49ers, after advancing with a victory against the Vikings last week, hosted the 13-3 #2 seed Green Bay Packers for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The two teams had previously met in a Week 12 Sunday Night game, where the 49ers demolished the Packers to the tune of 37-8. The rematch would be close to the same result, with the Niners destroying the Packers early on to win 37-20 and advance to Super Bowl 54.
The Niners would go three-and-out to start the game, which was the best part of the first half for Green Bay. From there on out, the half got out of hand for the Packers. Jimmy Garoppolo would find Deebo Samuel twice on the next drive, including a massive 30 yard catch and run to move into Packers’ territory. San Francisco would later face 3rd and 8, so Shanahan would call a beautifully unexpected draw to Raheem Mostert, who would race by the surprised defense all the way for a 36 yard touchdown. They needed 8 yards, but got 36 and a touchdown lead to start the game.
San Francisco would get favorable field position on their next posession, and a roughing the passer call would allow Robbie Gould to kick a 54 yard field goal to make it a 10-0 game. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers would desperately try to get something going on their next drive, but Rodgers would get strip sacked by a blitzing K’Waun Williams on third down. Punter J.K Scott didn’t help matters, shanking a punt that would already put the 49ers in field goal range. But the Niners didn’t just want another field goal. Shanahan would run the ball down their throats for 37 yards, with Raheem Mostert taking the ball to the left pylon for another touchdown. 17-0 Niners.
Green Bay needed to come away with points on the next drive, and Rodgers knew it. Instead of going away from the run game like their last matchup, they would keep it on the ground with Aaron Jones, impressively moving to the San Francisco 25 yard line. But this was just not the Packers’ day, as Rodgers would botch the snap and put the ball on the ground, where it would be recovered by DeForrest Buckner. The Packers’ most impressive drive of the half would end in a turnover, and Raheem Mostert would continue to gash their defense to set up another Robbie Gould field goal.
With only 2 minutes to go in the half and down by 20, it was hard to envision things getting worse for Green Bay. But it would. Kick returner Tyler Ervin would muff the kickoff, recovering inside the 10 yard line to set up the Packers in terrible field position. It wouldn’t even matter, because Rodgers would throw a terrible pass a few plays later that would be intercepted by CB Emmanuel Moseley, giving another opportunity for the Niners to score at the end of the half. Even with only a minute left, the offense would keep on running the ball, and it still took only three plays before Raheem Mostert completed the first half hat trick with a third rushing touchdown from 18 yards. It didn’t seem possible that the 49ers could have had a better first half than last time, but somehow they did, as they led 27-0 at halftime.
Just like last time, the Packers would finally score on their first possession of the second half, going 80 yards on 11 plays to cap it off with an 11 yard catch and run by Aaron Jones for a touchdown. Green Bay was finally on the board, but like last time, the Niners would respond quickly. Now Deebo Samuel would be the one to gash the run defense on end arounds, with one going for 32 yards to continue the Niners’ fantastic day on the ground. But in the end, it was truly Raheem Mostert’s day, as he would again get the carry and sprint down the left sideline for a 22 yard touchdown-his fourth of the day. 34-7, 49ers.
The Packers’ offense would finally get going, scoring twice more to give them a faint outside shot. But it was too little too late, and the San Francisco 49ers would win the NFC Championship game 37-20.
This one seemed to be decided from the very start. Even when discounting the two team’s previous matchup from Week 12, the Niners appeared to just match up incredibly well against the Packers, and it showed yet again tonight. The only way that Green Bay could have won was if the Niners beat themselves, so when the Packers began to make mistakes early on, it was already over. Give credit to what head coach Matt LaFleur was able to do in his first year-he was able to elevate a team with a losing record last year to the NFC Championship game. However, he just ran into the one team that just had his number.
Speaking of running, San Francisco won this game on the back of running back Raheem Mostert. The Niners’ breakout candidate of the year had the performance of a lifetime, running for 220 yards and 4 TDs. It was a franchise record for most running yards in a playoff game, as well as the most rushing touchdowns ever in an NFC Championship. The team as a whole nearly had 300 rushing yards on the game, as the Packers absolutely could not stop the Niners’ run game. Jimmy Garoppolo only had to throw 8 times the entire game, and yet the Niners still routed the Packers to set up a trip to Miami.
So it all comes down to this. The 49ers have nearly had a dream season, but there’s still one more game to go-the biggest one of them all. Their opponent will be the electrifying Kansas City Chiefs, quarterbacked by the reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes. It will truly be the Niners’ biggest challenge yet, and it will all go down on February 2nd in Miami, Florida.
The Bay Area Sports Counsel 