49ers rally against all odds, beating young Packers and advancing to NFC title game

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Needing a fourth-quarter comeback with a magical season on the line, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t panic.

There was no reason to. He handed the ball to the team’s best offensive player, running back Christian McCaffrey. 

The Stanford product scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 6-yard inside run with 1:07 left, and the 49ers held off the young and feisty Green Bay Packers, 24-21 on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in the NFC divisional round playoffs. 

San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw sealed the game with his second interception of Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. 

Dre Greenlaw picks off Jordan Love to seal 49ers’ 24-21 victory over Packers

Entering this weekend’s contest, under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers were 0-31 when trailing by at least five points entering the fourth quarter, according to FOX Sports research.

Make that 1-31.

In a back-and-forth game with five lead changes, Purdy extended his postseason streak of games without interceptions to four. The Iowa State product finished 23-of-39 for 252 yards and a touchdown pass. McCaffrey totaled 98 rushing yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.  

With the win, Purdy becomes the eighth QB to win at least three postseason starts within his first two seasons in the league, joining Ben Roethlisberger (5), Russell Wilson (4), Mark Sanchez (4), Joe Burrow (3), Joe Flacco (3), Tom Brady (3) and Kurt Warner (3).

Like Purdy, San Francisco’s defense got all it could handle from Love and Green Bay’s offense. Running back Aaron Jones finished with 108 rushing yards, the first time the 49ers allowed a 100-yard rusher in 51 games, which had been the longest streak in the NFL.

Brock Purdy, 49ers survive vs. Jordan Love, Packers

Love finished 21-of-34 for 194 yards, with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. 

However, the 49ers managed to make key stops in the second half that led to the win, including a 41-yard missed field goal by Green Bay kicker Anders Carlson, giving San Francisco the ball with 6:01 left down 21-17.

Purdy and San Francisco’s offense did the rest. 

With the victory, San Francisco tied the Packers and the New England Patriots for most postseason wins in NFL history with 37. The 49ers have now won the last five meetings against the Packers in the playoffs, and advanced to the NFC title game for the fourth time in five seasons. 

Under Shanahan, the 49ers are 4-0 at home in the postseason, winning by an average margin of 15.5 points per contest. 

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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