The San Francisco 49ers provided one of the biggest upsets of an incredible Divisional weekend with a 13-10 win over the No. 1 seed Green Bay Packers at Lambeau. It was the second upset of their postseason run after defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Super Wild Card Weekend. Now, despite not scoring a touchdown on offense in their win over Green Bay, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers are headed back to the NFC Conference Championship for the second time in the last three seasons, where they’ll take on the Los Angeles Rams. In the win over Green Bay, kicker Robbie Gould made a strong case for himself as one of the best kickers in postseason history, staying perfect and improving to 20/20 on field goals in the playoffs with a 45-yard game-winner in a low-scoring and frosty affair in Green Bay.
Garoppolo went just 11/19 for 131 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception, but it proved to be enough for the win. Meanwhile Aaron Rodgers, in what could have been the final game of his career as a Packer, went 20/29 for 225 yards and zero TD. The 49ers defense sacked Rodgers five times, including two each for Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa.
Since losing their top ball carrier in Raheem Mostert in Week 1, the 49ers have managed to establish one of the strongest run games in the NFL. The unit closed out the regular season with the seventh-best rushing offense in the league with 127.4 yards per game. Since their Week 3 matchup against the Packers, the 49ers have rushed for less than 100 yards in just three of 14 contests. Elijah Mitchell led the run game for the 49ers, tallying 963 yards in the regular season, the second-most rushing yards by a rookie running back this season. In Los Angeles, however, they’ll face a stout run defense who finished the regular season allowing just 103.2 rush yards per game, sixth-best in the NFL.
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Wild Card round results
- Defeated the No. 3 Dallas Cowboys, 23-17
Divisional round results
- Defeated the No. 1 Green Bay Packers, 13-10
2021 NFL Draft picks
- Round 1: No. 3 – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
- Round 2, No. 48 – Aaron Banks, OG, Notre Dame
- Round 3, No. 88 – Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
- Round 3, No. 102 – Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan
- Round 5, No. 155 – Jaylon Moore, OT, Western Michigan
- Round 5, No. 172 – Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon
- Round 5, No. 180 – Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC
- Round 6, No. 194 – Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana
49ers key personnel: Coaches and players
- Head coach: Kyle Shanahan
- Quarterback: Jimmy Garoppolo
- Wide receiver: Deebo Samuel
- Tight end: George Kittle
- Running back: Elijah Mitchell
- Defensive end: Nick Bosa
- Linebacker: Fred Warner
49ers regular season results
- Overall record: 10-7
- Key wins/biggest win of the season: 27-24 OT victory against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18
49ers recent playoff history
- In the 49ers’ last postseason appearance in 2019, they advanced all the way to the Super Bowl, but fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to their Super Bowl run, the 49ers had not advanced to the playoffs since they made three straight postseason appearances from 2011-2013.
Looking ahead to 49ers vs. Rams in the NFC Championship Game
The 49ers will now head to SoFi Stadium, site of Super Bowl LVI, to take on the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. The 49ers have recent history of success against their fellow Californians, having swept the Rams in each of the last three seasons, including 2021. But Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford showed he’s capable of coming through in the clutch in the win over the Buccaneers, throwing for 366 yards and 2 touchdowns and driving down the field in the final minute of regulation to put Matt Gay in position for the 30-yard game-winning field goal.
These two teams last met in the regular season finale, when San Francisco emerged victorious with a 27-24 win in overtime. That win came despite a messy performance from Garoppolo, who went 23/32 for 316 yards, 1 touchdown and two interceptions. Garoppolo has faced his fair share of criticism this season, but his team is one win away from their second Super Bowl appearance in the last three seasons (Kyle Shanahan’s squad lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in the 2019 season).
RELATED: Rams tickets sold out to season ticket holders, but no restrictions on re-sales to 49ers fans
49ers Record vs. playoff teams in the regular season: 4-4
Wins:
- 17-11 vs. Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2
- 31-10 vs. Los Angeles Rams in Week 10
- 26-23 (OT) vs. Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14
- 27-24 (OT) vs. Los Angeles Rams in Week 18
Losses:
- 30-28 vs. Green Bay Packers in Week 3
- 17-10 vs. Arizona Cardinals in Week 5
- 31-17 vs. Arizona Cardinals in Week 9
- 20-17 vs. Tennessee Titans in Week 16
How can I watch and live stream Super Bowl 2022?
- When: Sunday, February 13, 2022
- Where: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California
- TV Channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock, NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com
- Follow along with ProFootballTalk and NBC Sports for NFL news, updates, scores, injuries and more
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