GREEN BAY – The Packers saw their season end on a walk-off 45-yard field goal by 49ers K Robbie Gould on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The 13-10 final in the NFC Divisional playoff sent No. 1-seeded Green Bay into the offseason immensely disappointed with a 13-5 overall record.
The Packers scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game but were essentially stymied on offense the rest of the game, managing just a field goal after that.
The special teams made countless costly mistakes, starting with getting a field goal blocked at the end of the first half that kept the sixth-seeded 49ers' deficit at just 7-0.
A kickoff return to midfield set up San Francisco's first points of the game, a field goal, before the Packers kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 10-3.
The 49ers then blocked a punt when the Packers were backed up near their goal line and returned it 6 yards for the game-tying touchdown with just under five minutes left.
After the Packers again couldn't do anything on offense, the 49ers killed the rest of the clock and set up the walk-off kick.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 20-of-29 for 225 yards and a 91.9 passer rating. RB Aaron Jones had 12 rushes for 41 yards and nine receptions for 129 yards. WR Davante Adams had nine catches for 90 yards and RB AJ Dillon had seven carries for 25 yards and the Packers' lone TD before leaving the game with a chest injury.
For the 49ers, QB Jimmy Garoppolo was 11-of-19 for 131 yards with an interception for a 57.1 rating. RB Elijah Mitchell had 17 carries for 53 yards and WR Deebo Samuel carried 10 times for 39 yards, adding three receptions for 44 more. TE George Kittle had four catches for 63 yards.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Packers lead 49ers 7-0 after one
The opening temperature was 14 degrees with a 0-degree wind chill, making it the fifth coldest playoff game in Lambeau Field history. The 49ers won the opening coin toss and deferred.
The Packers got off to a fast start with a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive. With San Francisco down starting cornerback Ambry Thomas, Aaron Rodgers went right after Dontae Thomson on the first possession.
Rodgers completed a 14-yard pass to Davante Adams on second-and-6 and then converted another second down later in the drive with 10-yard pass to Adams against Johnson. A 19-yard Aaron Jones catch and run moved Green Bay into 49ers territory.
An 11-yard pass to Adams set up first-and-10 from the San Francisco 11, AJ Dillon bulldozed for 11 yards and the touchdown to put the Packers up 7-0 after Mason Crosby's extra point.
With the extra point, Crosby kicks off and has now played in more postseason games (23) than any other player in #Packers history, moving past Brett Favre. This is Rodgers' 22nd game, tying him with Favre for second.
The Packers' defense got a three-and-out to start the game, using a base package with De'Vondre Campbell, Krys Barnes and Oren Burks on a second-and-14 play. On third down, Green Bay lined up the returning Za'Darius Smith in the middle and he dragged down Jimmy Garoppolo for a 9-yard loss to get the ball back to the Packers' offense.
Green Bay kept the ball moving on its second series, with a 7-yard pass to Adams and a Jones 14-yard run off the right side. A 9-yard catch by Jones moved the Packers past midfield. The drive ended after Fred Warner forced a fumble on a short pass to Marcedes Lewis. The 49ers took over at their own 42.
San Francisco nearly fumbled the ball right back to Green Bay when Rasul Douglas punched out a completed pass to Brandon Aiyuk, which Krys Barnes recovered and returned to the 49ers' 40-yard line.
The New York office reversed the call, ruling it was incomplete. Rashan Gary sacked Garoppolo on the next play to force the punt.
The Packers went three-and-out and punted back to the 49ers, who had minus-7 total yards of offense in the first quarter.
Packers lead 49ers 7-0 at halftime
The Packers' defense forced yet another three-and-out with Deebo Samuel dropping a pass on first down and Rashan Gary recording his second sack of the game on third-and-8 to force the punt.
The Packers converted on third-and-6 with a 7-yard pass to Adams but that's as far as Green Bay would get. Corey Bojorquez punted the ball back to the 49ers, who started from their own 23.
San Francisco converted its first first down with a 15-yard pass to George Kittle. The 49ers chipped away with Elijah Mitchell and Samuel before a 12-yard slant to Kittle set up first-and-goal at the Green Bay 9.
Kenny Clark pressured Garoppolo into throwing an interception to Adrian Amos that the Packers safety returned to the Green Bay 4.
On third-and-3, Rodgers step up to find a wide-open Aaron Jones for a 75-yard completion down to the Green Bay 14 with 26 seconds remaining. Mason Crosby's 39-yard field goal was blocked to end the first half.
Packers lead 49ers 7-3 after three
Samuel returned the second-half kickoff to midfield. The 49ers moved the ball down to the Green Bay 12 before Mitchell was flagged for an offensive face-mask penalty.
On third-and-16 from the 23, Garoppolo threw an underneath pass to Samuel for 12 yards. Samuel was injured on the play.
Robbie Gould made a 29-yard field goal to put the 49ers on the board and cut Green Bay's lead to 7-3 with 8 minutes, 31 seconds left in the third quarter. AJ Dillon sustained a chest injury on the ensuing kickoff and exited the game.
The Packers' offense went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the 49ers, who took over at their own 28. De'Vondre Campbell had a pass defensed on first down and Kenny Clark had a sack for a 6-yard loss on third down to get the ball back.
Aaron Jones picked up 17 yards on five straight carries before Rodgers completed a 25-yard pass to Adams on a deep drag route down to the San Francisco 24.
49ers beat Packers 13-10
The fourth quarter began with a 6-yard pass to Allen Lazard. The Packers eventually settled for a 33-yard Mason Crosby field to extend their lead to 10-3 with 11:27 left in regulation. The 14-play, 57-yard drive lasted 9:01.
San Francisco got down to the GB 28 with a 24-yard pass to Kittle. TJ Slaton stuffed Mitchell for a loss of two on second-and-5 and Jauan Jennings was tackled a yard short of the first on third. The 49ers tried to run a dive play on fourth-and-1 but Gary tackled Mitchell for a 1-yard loss for the turnover on downs with 6:10 remaining.
The Packers' offense went three-and-out and Bojorquez's punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 10 with 4:41 left.
Green Bay went three-and-out and punted the ball back to San Francisco. Facing third-and-7 from the Packers' 38, Samuel picked up nine yards to the 29. Gould made a 45-yarder to win.
