In the divisional round, the 49ers narrowly defeated the Green Bay Packers courtesy to a late touchdown drive by quarterback Brock Purdy and a late interception by Dre Greenlaw.
However, the 49ers appeared to be a shell of the squad that easily won the NFC and the top seed before that moment.
The 49ers scored a touchdown on the following drive after the defense allowed the Packers to storm down the field on many occasions and nearly allowed Green Bay to make a late field goal that would have extended the advantage to seven points.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers admitted that the squad didn’t play as well as it had in the past.
Purdy himself was erratic as he missed many passes and nearly threw interceptions on several plays.
Up until the team’s last drive of the game, pass catchers like tight end George Kittle also failed to complete passes.
Thankfully, the 49ers’ ground game was sustained by running back Christian McCaffrey, who scored two touchdowns on the ground and produced a few big chunk plays to keep San Francisco in the game.
However, after giving up many huge plays to the rushing game and Packers quarterback Jordan Love, the defense may be a greater worry.
A couple mishandled throws, bad calls, and late field goals also saved the 49ers on a few occasions.
In the NFC title game, they will play the Detroit Lions or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
