The Green Bay Packers lost in absolutely brutal fashion, immediately shifting their attention from chasing a Super Bowl title to trying to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The game-shifting moment of the evening was a special teams play where nobody expected any fireworks to happen. Up one touchdown and punting from their own end zone, the Packers botched a routine punt that was deflected and returned for a touchdown by the San Francisco 49ers defense.
TIE GAME ALERT 🚨
The Niners SCORE off a blocked punt to make it 10 – 10 😱pic.twitter.com/czOJhqCo1R
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 23, 2022
The 49ers eventually parlayed that game-tying defensive play into another stop of their own, enabling them to attempt the game-winning field goal with mere seconds left on the clock.
To make matters worse for the Packers, who were fresh off being victimized by a special teams defensive unit, they apparently were one man down while trying to pressure the game-ending field goal.
One final special teams indignity: the Packers had only 10 guys on the field for the 49ers game-winning kick. pic.twitter.com/P7ZWVWsFLu
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 23, 2022
GOULD IS GOOD.
THE @49ERS WIN IN LAMBEAU TO ADVANCE TO THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP. #FTTB #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/7JouarMybq
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2022
It seems fitting that they end the game committing such a basic mistake on a special teams play after losing the game on one just moments prior. While being one man short might not have mattered in the grand scheme of things, it's just another display of incompetency from the special teams unit that's been an Achilles' heel to the Super Bowl contending Packers all season.
And now it's come back to haunt them at the worst possible time, doubling down on their mistakes in the final five minutes of a Divisional playoff game – one that could potentially be Aaron Rodgers' last for the Green Bay Packers.
Follow Us
Subscribe