Love and Melton connected on the next play for a wide-open 19-yard touchdown aided by Tashaun Gipson slipping on the wet grass in coverage.Īfter McCaffrey put San Francisco back in the lead with a 39-yard TD run, Green Bay struck quickly thanks to a 73-yard kick return by All-Pro Keisean Nixon that he fumbled, only to have teammate Eric Wilson recover. Green Bay converted a third-and-15 when Ambry Thomas was called for a 41-yard pass interference penalty against Bo Melton. Love put the Niners in the unusual spot of playing from behind. Purdy - who struggled with his accuracy early on a rainy night - threw for 252 yards and a touchdown, and McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries. We had an opportunity to win that game and didn’t capitalize on it.

But his first full season as the starter in place of Aaron Rodgers had a disappointing ending. That last throw across his body was one of the few mistakes by Love, who had given the Packers the lead with two TD passes in the third quarter. San Francisco will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Tampa Bay and Detroit next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl. And they will host it this time after losing the past two on the road. To go out there and execute is a sign of a high character team.”Īfter spending all regular season as front-runners, the Niners (13-5) rallied behind Purdy and McCaffrey to reach their third straight NFC championship game. “We didn’t play well at all but still had a chance at the end. “We’re built for those moments,” McCaffrey said. Just when it seemed like the top-seeded 49ers might be sent home in their first playoff game, they did something they hadn’t managed to do all season: mount a late-game comeback.Ĭhristian McCaffrey capped a game-winning, 69-yard drive by running for his second touchdown with 1:07 to play, and the 49ers held on to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in a divisional-round thriller on Saturday night. There were even a couple of special teams blunders. The San Francisco defense kept giving up big plays. (AP) - Brock Purdy’s throws were off-target all night.

49ers play by play