The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round. With that win, they were awarded the game against the #1 seed in the NFC, the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers went into Lambeau Field, in snowy and cold conditions, and did what most did not think was possible, knocking off the Packers in Green Bay.
While there were lots of different things that happened in this game, especially with the weather being the way it was. Let’s take a look at the key skill players and how the game matched up with the NFL Lines.
Quarterback Play
The 49ers had gotten great play out of their quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, heading into this week’s game. On Saturday he was limited due to the weather making it tough to throw the football. Garoppolo only threw the ball 19 times, completing 11 passes for 131 yards. He did not complete a touchdown pass but did throw a single interception.
Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, was not fazed by the weather, as he has been in Green Bay for his whole career. The Packers let Rodgers throw the ball more than San Francisco, with Rodgers attempting 29 passes and completing 20 of them. Rodgers was only able to accumulate 225 yards passing and did not record a passing touchdown. This ended a seven-game streak of throwing at least one touchdown.
Key Running Backs
The Packers turned to the dual-threat running backs of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Jones attempted 12 rushes for only 41 yards. Dillon was less effective with only seven rushing attempts for 25 yards but he was able to find his way into the end zone. The rushing attack was not great all year for Green Bay and it really showed on Saturday against a stout San Francisco defensive front.
The 49ers were not much more effective than the Packers, however, when they needed a big play, or to convert a big first down, they were able to get the job done. Elijah Mitchell had 17 rushing attempts and was able to gather 53 yards. Deebo Samuel was also semi-effective with 10 carries for 39 yards. Going into Los Angeles to take on the Rams, these two will need to find a way to have more of an impact if they are going to win again next week.
Key Wide Receivers
All year, Davante Adams has been considered one of the top wide receivers in all of football. On Saturday, he was able to be very productive again, hauling in nine receptions for 90 yards. Aaron Jones, while not effective in the run game, did show out in the passing game, hauling in nine receptions for 129 yards. The problem is, even with both of these guys playing great, they were unable to get into the end zone.
The 49ers did not have a ton of passing yards, as previously stated, so there was not a huge impact from the 49ers’ wide receivers. The one player who was effective, the tight end George Kittle. He hauled in four receptions for 63 yards. Deebo Samuel was the only other player over 20 yards receiving, hauling in three receptions for 44 yards. Again no touchdowns amongst these wide receivers.
Special Teams
The special teams won the game for the San Francisco 49ers. In the fourth quarter, Jordan Willis was able to break through on a Green Bay punt attempt out of their own endzone and get his hands on it. Talanoa Hufanga was able to scoop the blocked punt and score the touchdown for the only touchdown from San Francisco.
Against The Lines
At the start of the game, the line was anywhere from -5 to -6 for the Green Bay Packers. Bettors who were confident in the 49ers and took the moneyline were able to cash in handsomely. San Franciso will head to Los Angeles to take on the Rams for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
