On a field strewn with snowstorms, Gould made a 45-yard field goal Saturday night as time expired that smack the Seed Packers 13-10 and may have ended Aaron Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay.
Gould has made all 20 playoff field goal attempts of his career. His latest helped the 49ers complete an unlikely comeback by scoring 10 unanswered points in the final five minutes.
“I still have confidence in Robbie. He’s as good as Gold, man,” Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “He still is.”
The 49ers (12-7) put their postseason HEX on Rodgers and advanced to an NFC Championship Game Matchup Jan. 30 with either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-4) or the Los Angeles Rams (13-5). Those teams play Sunday at Tampa.
This is the 17th conference championship appearance for the 49ers, most have been formed by every team since the conferences. The 49ers were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
San Francisco’s win, coupled with the Cincinnati Bengals’ 19-16 win over the Tennessee Titans earlier in the day, was the first time since that the two n°1 seeds lost in the division in the same season. Green Bay won at Atlanta and the New York Jets won at New England this season.
“It’s peril, man. When a team gets hot, it’s peril,” Garoppolo added. “So we have to keep this thing going, focus now on next week and keep it going.”
Rodgers went 20 of 29 for 225 yards and fell to 0-4 in career playoff appearances against the 49ers. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to lose four playoff starts against a single opponent.
He is now entering an uncertain off-season. After skipping the Packers’ mandatory Minicamp in a standoff with management, Rodgers said he wasn’t certain it would be his final year in Green Bay. Rodgers said last month he was keeping all options open.
Rodgers would not speculate on his future on Saturday night, although he said he did not want to be part of a rebuild if he continues to play.
“I don’t think it’s fair for anyone or myself to really go down those paths at this point,” Rodgers said. “It’s disappointing, sad and fresh. I’m going to have some discussions next week and think about it afterwards.”
The Packers (13-5) picked up the NFC’s second win of the season and were the league’s only undefeated team at home, but have yet to make it to the big game. They haven’t reached the Super Bowl since their championship season.
“I didn’t imagine it like that,” said Green Bay’s Aaron Jones, who had nine catches for 129 yards and 12 Carries for 41 yards.
San Francisco ended the game with 4:41 left thanks to a Green Bay Special Teams breakdown, the Packers’ biggest weakness all season.
Jordan Willis’ outstretched left hand blocked a Corey Bojorquez punt that went in from the front into his end zone. Talanoa Hufanga took the ball to the 6-yard line and ran inside to make it 10-10.
After the Packers finished at three, the 49ers got the ball back at their 29 with 3:20 left and headed for the field-Goal-Range. Deebo Samuel delivered a 9-yard run on third-and-7 from the Green Bay 38, and the 49ers ran out the clock to set up Gould.
A. J. Dillon’s 6-yard touchdown run ended a 69-yard drive on the game’s opening possession that put the Packers up 7-0. Green Bay’s offense didn’t do much afterward.
Green Bay’s special teams got worse.
Long before that blocked kick, San Francisco’s Jimmie Ward blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Mason Crosby in the final play of the first half, preventing the Packers from extending their lead to 10-0.
The Packers also allowed Samuel to return the second-half kickoff 45 yards and set up the 49ers’ first field goal. Green Bay also appeared to have only 10 men on the field when Gould kicked his game-winning field goal.
“We thought our special teams had an edge in this game,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We thought they had the opportunity to win the game. And to be able to say that, and to actually come true… it was huge for the Guys and huge for our Team.”
San Francisco won by overcoming a rough start to its offense. The 49ers had minus-10 yards in their first four series, three of which contained third-down sacks. It was the first time the 49ers had opened a four-game winning streak since a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 27.
The 49ers didn’t get a single first down or pass until Garoppolo connected with George Kittle on a 15-yard gain with less than 6 and a half minutes left in the second quarter. Garoppolo was just 11 of 190 for 131 yards with one interception, but the 49ers still managed to win.
“It all cost,” Garoppolo said. “We knew it would be ok. I mean, It was just Offense, Defense, Special Teams – everyone stepped up and did their part. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Tags: final, Packers, upset