Jenfrin Rodriguez
Sports Editor
The sixth seed San Francisco 49ers and the first seed Green Bay Packers played in the Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs and it was a battle on both ends. In the week leading up to the game the weather was stated to be in the teens, so how would a team used to the California heat deal with the drastic change in weather? Talks of how tired the 49ers were from the matchup against the Dallas Cowboys the week prior, while Green Bay had a first round bye and were going to be well rested would be a major factor. San Francisco has played two road playoff games and were seen as the underdogs. The style of play the 49ers bring transitions well into the playoffs.
All season long the Packers were the number one offense in the league. In a week three matchup against the 49ers, the Packers made a comeback to win it with under a minute. The quarterback Aaron Rodgers is highly renowned as one of the best to ever play, and wide receiver Davante Adams is seen as the best at his position currently. So how would the team manage to handle that in a hostile environment? San Francisco limited the reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and the number one offense to 225 yards and zero touchdowns.
While the offense for the 49ers did not play much better, Jimmy Garoppolo was not able to complete a pass until halfway through the second quarter. Both a combination of easy drops due to the cold and being played well defensively. Garoppolo was only 11-19 on passes for 131 yards and an interception, but the team was still able to come out on top.
Defensively, the group could not have done any better than they did. After allowing a touchdown in the first quarter, Green Bay would go on to only score three more points through over 45 minutes of play. San Francisco got stops and were able to give the team a chance all the way up until the very end.
Special teams was the deciding factor of the game. At the end of the first half safety Jimmy Ward blocked a field goal to keep the score 7-0 after a Garoppolo interception. Wide receiver Deebo Samuels had a 40+ yard kickoff return to put the niners in position to get points on the board. In the fourth quarter, Jordan Willis blocked a punt in a 3-10 game that was picked up for a touchdown by Talanoa Hufanga to tie the game at 10. Lastly, Robbie Gould hit a 47 yard field goal for the win to continue his 20-20 streak on kicks in the playoffs.
San Francisco awaits the winner of the Los Angeles Rams vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a trip to the Superbowl on the line. Will the underdog story continue or is this the end of the line?