Robbie Gould Kicks the San Francisco 49ers into the NFC Championship

A 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould sends the Packers home

Just two weeks removed from a thrilling overtime victory to secure a spot in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs in Week 18 of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers now find themselves a win away from Super Bowl LVI.

The San Francisco 49ers upset the Green Bay Packers 13-10 last Saturday to advance to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game where they will face a familiar divisional foe, the Los Angeles Rams. The Niners are 2-0 against the Rams this season, and George Kittle is getting his wish to face the Rams one more time.

“Hopefully, I can see them again because that was a fun body-bag game,” exclaimed Kittle after the Week 18 victory.

Coming off a 23-17 victory against the Cowboys in the first round of the National Football Conference (NFC) playoffs, the Niners entered last weekend’s matchup as five and-a-half point underdogs against the number one-seeded Green Bay Packers. The Niners are no stranger to Green Bay, having narrowly lost to the conference juggernaut 30-28 in a Week 3 matchup in Santa Clara.

Saturday’s NFC Divisional Playoff game in Green Bay faced challenging conditions. It was a cold, snowy night in Lambeau Field as the temperature at kick-off was 14 degrees with a wind chill of zero, making it the fifth-coldest playoff game in the field’s history. The conditions gave both teams a hard time, making each score all the more precious.

Similar to their previous matches, San Francisco got off to a slow start, having four straight three-and-outs to begin the game, failing to get a first down until halfway through the second quarter. Jimmy Garoppolo connected with George Kittle for a 15-yard reception with under two minutes left in the half, but the Niners were unable to come away with any points — with the drive ending in an interception inside the red zone. Garoppolo’s interception would lead to a field goal attempt for Green Bay, which would be blocked by Jimmy Ward to close out the half.

Green Bay similarly struggled to get their offense rolling, being halted for the rest of the half after a successful opening drive. Both defenses were stealthy, forcing three combined turnovers in the first half alone. Even after the Niners’ offensive struggles, San Francisco was only down seven points to begin the second half.

San Francisco opened up the second half with a momentous 45-yard return by Deebo Samuel, leading to a Robbie Gould field goal that cut the deficit to four. Green Bay would add a field goal of their own early in the fourth quarter to increase the lead back to touchdown, as the score would remain 10-3 until four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Everything changed when Green Bay lined up to punt deep in their own zone.

Before Packers’ punter Corey Bojorquez was able to get off his kick, San Francisco's defensive lineman Jordan Willis reached out his hand to deflect the ball.

The players could hear the sound of the blocked punt, but they were unable to locate the ball. For a dramatic, elongated three seconds, 49ers’ fans around the nation yelled at their TVs, pointing to the football that only the broadcast captured.

Ultimately, it was San Francisco’s Talanoa Hufanga who recovered a blocked punt at the Packers’ 15-yard line and returned it for a game-tying touchdown.

Willis and Hufanga celebrated with the rest of their difference-making special teams unit, while the Niner bench simultaneously rejoiced. In an ugly, injury-filled game, San Francisco now found themselves tied with Goliath with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers’ defense continued the momentum, forcing Packers and Rodgers to a quick three-and-out drive, giving the Niners the ball back with three minutes left.

The Niners, led by a timely, accurate Garoppolo put together a nine-play 44-yard drive, leading to Robbie Gould’s 45-yard game-winning field goal to stun a suddenly silent Green Bay crowd.

Jimmy Garoppolo, again, struggled during most of the game, completing only 11/19 passes for 131 yards with an interception; however, he proved, again, that he could put together a clutch drive when San Francisco needed him the most. Deebo Samuel, continued to produce for the Niners in crucial moments, as mister “Do-It-All Swiss Army Knife” contributed to the run, receiving and return game.

Next Sunday, the Niners will face the Rams in the NFC Championship game at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles with an NFC title on the line. The 49ers have won their previous six matchups against the Rams dating back to the 2019 season, but Sunday’s anticipated matchup will be its own beast, with two hungry two teams playing for a chance to to play in Super Bowl LVI and capture the Lombardi trophy. Kick-off is expected to begin at 3:30 p.m. PST on Jan. 30.