The Green Bay Packers’ 2021 season abruptly ended Saturday night at Lambeau Field after Robbie Gould kicked the game-winner as time expired to give the 49ers a 13-10 victory and a berth in the NFC Championship Game.
The shocking loss put into perspective how quickly the postseason can end, something the Packers hadn’t grown accustomed to since Matt LaFleur took over as head coach in 2019. Green Bay had reached the NFC Championship Game in each of the previous two seasons and were favorites against the 49ers on Saturday.
To add insult to injury, the 49ers seemingly pulled off the unthinkable based on past playoff history. The unlikelihood of San Francisco’s victory can best be summarized by the following statistics:
– Aaron Rodgers was previously 41-0 in his career in games when his defense gave up 14 points or fewer. In a season in which the Packers defense seemed to finally put it all together, Rodgers was unable to capitalize when it mattered most.
– The 49ers are just the fourth team since 2000 to win in the playoffs without scoring an offensive touchdown. All 13 of San Francisco’s points came via special teams; a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, an extra point and two field goals.
– The Packers’ 10 points scored is the lowest amount in a playoff game since the 2002 NFC Wild Card Round (a 27-7 loss to the Falcons). It’s also the fourth-lowest amount scored in a playoff game in franchise history.
– The Packers will now go down as the team with the most regular-season wins in a three-year span (39) in NFL history without a Super Bowl appearance.
– On a similar note, Matt LaFleur holds the record for most regular season wins in a coach’s first three seasons (39), yet has nothing to show for it in the postseason. LaFleur is 39-9 overall in the regular season since taking over in 2019.
– Despite the freezing weather on Saturday night, the Packers still managed to score fewer points than the actual temperature at kickoff. Depending on your source, the temperature at Lambeau Field for kickoff was 11 or 12 degrees. Green Bay only scored 10 points, their second-lowest output of the season (seven points against the Chiefs in Week 9).
– The 49ers never led during the game. San Francisco won the game on a field goal as time expired on the clock. The Packers took a 7-0 lead with 9:25 left in the first quarter and led until 4:41 left in the fourth quarter.
– According to Next Gen Stats, the 49ers’ win probability remained below the 25 percent mark until the final five minutes of the game.
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