San Francisco Stunned by Rodgers, Green Bay

The 49ers score go-ahead touchdown with under a minute left, but fall to Packers in heartbreaking fashion.

37 seconds. That is all future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers needed to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara on Sunday night.

After Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Juszczyk combined to give San Francisco their first lead of the game with under a minute remaining in the 4th quarter, 49ers fans began to fantasize about a 3-0 start to the 2021-22 National Football League (NFL) season. Less than a minute later, fans returned to reality to see their ‘Niners suffer a gut-wrenching loss and fall to 2-1.

Rodgers orchestrated a magnificent drive in the final minute of the fourth quarter on Sunday night, without any timeouts, to effectively position the Packers in field goal range. Mason Crosby proceeded to nail the game-winning 51-yard field goal to hand the 49ers their first loss of the season.

The 49ers got off to a slow start on Sunday, finding themselves in a 17-0 hole midway through the second quarter. Jimmy Garoppolo's shaky first half included a quick three-and-out and an interception that led to an early Green Bay lead. Nevertheless, the 49ers got on the board with an impressive drive in the final minute of the first half. Rookie quarterback Trey Lance came in for the last play of the second quarter and rushed in for a touchdown as time expired.

The ‘Niners carried their momentum into the second half, scoring on their opening drive. Jimmy Garoppolo connected with Brandon Aiyuk on an 8-yard TD pass to bring the 49ers within three and cut the deficit to 17-14. The score would remain the same until the fourth quarter when Green Bay responded back with a touchdown of their own; Rodgers connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a 12-yard laser in the back of the end zone.

San Francisco rebounded in the fourth quarter as they scored another touchdown to again cut the deficit within three. A costly fumble nearly ended San Francisco’s comeback chances with 4 minutes left in the game, giving Green Bay a chance to ice the game.

Nick Bosa and the 49er defense did everything in their power to keep their team in the game, stepping up in a big way and holding the Packers to a field goal. The stadium exploded with energy, and the ‘Niners capitalized on their next possession by marching down the field in two minutes and scoring the go-ahead touchdown.

Just when everyone thought it was over, Rodgers got the ball back with 37 seconds. He drove down the field, throwing lasers to his favorite target, 4x Pro-Bowler Devante Adams and, in turn, sucking the life out of Levi Stadium. Cheeseheads from fellow Green Bay fans jumping up and down. Crosby did the rest by nailing the 51-yard game-winning field goal.

Jimmy Garoppolo finished the night completing 25 of his 40 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Rodgers had a similar stat line, ending the game going 23 of 33 passing, with 261 yards and two touchdowns.

The amount of points given by San Francisco in the first three games is a cause for concern. Many believed its defense would hold the team down as it has in recent years, but that has not been the case. The defense has allowed 30 or more points in two of the three games this season.

The Packers were just more effective most of the night, averaging 6 yards per play to the 49ers’ 4.6, outgaining San Francisco 353 to 298 and leading time-of-possession (30:08 to 29: 52).

The ‘Niners will look to bounce back next week in a divisional match-up against the Seahawks. It will be San Francisco’s second home game at Levi Stadium this year, with kick-off expected to be around 1:05 pm PST. They currently sit in third place in a powerhouse NFC West division, behind the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.