49ers Win Ugly in 24-21 Victory
Sloppy weather and even sloppier football was the theme of the 49ers divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers, but some key plays late from star players has them living to see another round.
The Green Bay Packers came into the NFC Divisional round as one of the hottest teams in football but still were given little chance in San Francisco. The 49ers coming in as 10-point favorites and fresh off a bye week were expected to handle business, but they looked more like a team that still hadn’t quite realized it was time for the playoffs. In a windy, wet game, San Francisco made a multitude of uncharacteristic mistakes. Missed throws and assignments on offense, penalties on defense and mental errors on special teams caused what should have been a comfortable win into a 60 minute grind it out game that came down to a 4th quarter comeback.
Some of the issues were predictable. The Packer offense, particularly their running game, had been on a tear in recent months. A Top-3 rushing attack since Week 10, Green Bay was set up for a ton of success against the 49ers 15th ranked rushing defense. The 49ers feature a Front-4 that loves to get upfield and aggressive, leaving them prone to getting gashed year on the ground and the Packers took advantage. By allowing the DL for the 49ers to take themselves out of the play they were able to get bigger bodies down the field on the talented linebacking duo of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, forcing San Francisco’s defensive backs to tackle in the open field.
San Francisco struggled all year to defend the run but particularly when in their base personnel, where the drop off from NCB Deommodore Lenoir to SLB Oren Burks (#48) is significant. The Packers in turn trotted out a heavy dose of 2-TE looks to manipulate the looks San Francisco gave them. When combined with some excellent blocking from their WRs - something the 49ers - are typically known for - it generated a ton of success on the ground.
The Packers finished the game with 136 yards rushing on 4.9 Yards per Carry and 50% Success Rate.
The 49ers other known weakness on defense is their #2 outside CB, Ambry Thomas. Thomas has played solid ball since sliding into the lineup, a move that allowed Lenoir to slide inside where he has really shone, but the playoffs magnify a team's flaws. The Packers attacked Thomas 7 times on Saturday, yielding 5 catches for 74 yards and 2 pass interference calls that extended drives on 3rd down.
It wasn’t enough to cost the 49ers this week but it is a consistent flaw that a team will look to attack as the stakes rise and the competition gets stronger.
Despite the Packers ability to attack San Francisco where they were weak, it did not lead to a dominant offensive performance. The 49ers allowed a good amount of yards on the ground but featured a classic “bend but don’t break '' approach holding the Packers to a 2 for 5 showing in the red zone. They were also able to win the turnover battle by 3, including a huge fourth down stop in the red zone and a pair of interceptions by Dre Greenlaw.
The more concerning side of the ball for San Francisco, was the offense. In what should have been a clear mismatch for the 49ers #1 ranked offense versus the Packers #27 ranked defense, the offense sputtered. Part of that was the struggles of the offensive line, the weakest unit on the 49ers offense outside of HOF LT Trent Williams, which allowed 18 pressures on 43 dropbacks. The right side in particular having trouble containing the talented defensive line for Green Bay.
The biggest issue however was the struggles of second year QB Brock Purdy. In a rainy game with poor throwing conditions Purdy greatly struggled with accuracy, only completing 23 of his 39 passes for 252 yards. He had multiple easy misses over the course of the game, simply throwing check downs and easy quick passes into the dirt.
He also had a poor day in terms of decision making, throwing multiple balls into harm's way. One that even hit a DB square in the hands on a dropped Pick-6.
The combination of weather and pressure started to snowball over the course of the game and Purdy began second guessing play calls and throws, leaving easy yards on the field.
Despite the poor performance on both sides of the ball, the 49ers were able to step up in the 4th Quarter. Purdy, staring down the worst performance of his young career, engineered a 12 play, 5 minute, 69 yard go-ahead touchdown drive in the late 4th quarter. He finished the drive 6/7 and had a 10 yard scramble, with two of his most impressive throws of the day coming on back to back plays in Packers territory. The 49ers were then able to seal the game on the ensuing drive off the back of Dre Greenlaw’s second takeaway to escape an embarrassing loss and early exit from postseason play.
Was Saturday the 49ers best game of the year? No. Is it a level of play capable of winning a Super Bowl? Also no. But, despite a sloppy game, filled with errors, injuries and weather they were able to pull it out in the end and their playoff lives continue on. Up next is a far bigger challenge. In come the Detroit Lions, America's sweetheart, a team that possesses an offense uniquely suited to give the 49ers defense trouble. In a likely shoot out, the 49ers will need Brock Purdy to show the most recent game was blip on the radar. Thankfully the weather looks to be more traditionally what one expects in California and should provide the perfect atmosphere for the young single caller to bounce back.