A botched snap between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and center Corey Linsley provided a critical turning point of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.
Things were already going wrong for the Packers, who trailed 17-0 after two rushing touchdowns from Raheem Mostert, two third-down sacks of Rodgers and a shanked punt.
But a chance to find their footing and get on the scoreboard deep into the second quarter was available, and the Packers threw it away on an inexcusable mistake. At the 49ers’ 25-yard line, Rodgers attempted to draw back from center but the ball didn’t come with him, and DeForest Buckner recovered the fumble.
Rodgers wasn’t sure what exactly went wrong – if the snap was short, or he pulled out from center too soon – but he knew the impact of the mistake.
“We were going to cut that to two scores there, minimum. Much like the fourth-down stop in the first game, that was a big turning point,” Rodgers said.
The Packers trailed 10-0 in the first meeting when Aaron Jones got stuffed on 4th-and-1 in the second quarter. The 49ers scored 13 more points before the half and all but put the game away.
This time, the 49ers took control of the ball and marched down the field for a field goal, extending the lead to 20-0. The very next series, Rodgers tossed an interception while targeting Geronimo Allison, and the 49ers converted the takeaway into another touchdown.
It was 23-0 at half during the Nov. 24 meeting. It was 27-0 on Sunday.
“It’s a bad feeling,” Rodgers said.
Had the Packers cut the lead to 17-7 before the half, it’s possible the game script could have played out differently. It was an opportunity to stop the bleeding and get into the game for a team that desperately needed something to go right at Levi’s Stadium.
Then again, it’s just as possible it wouldn’t have mattered, considering the Packers defense had zero answers for the 49ers’ run game, which piled up 285 rushing yards – including 220 from Mostert.
Matt LaFleur called the botched snap an “uncharacteristic mistake” his team hasn’t made all season.
The Packers were already in big trouble by the time Rodgers and Linsley executed the failed snap in the second quarter. A blown opportunity and an indefensible mistake simply opened the floodgates for another blowout in San Francisco.