Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Best Individual Performances in Playoff History

By Trevor Irvine

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; San Francisco 49ers former quarterback Steve Young arrives for Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; San Francisco 49ers former quarterback Steve Young arrives for Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 4: Colin Kaepernick — 2012 Divisional Playoffs vs. Green Bay Packers

This game wasn’t a fair fight. There haven’t been too many games where the Packers defense was completely embarrassed, but this game was one of them. And it was all down to one man: Colin Kaepernick.

Kaepernick utilized the read option to brutally expose the Packers. This game was just Kaepernick’s eighth NFL start and his first playoff game. He had nerves to start, where he threw an early pick-six to Packers cornerback Sam Shields.

But then it was a one-way street.

The 49ers offense had 579 total yards, including 323 on the ground (both of these marks were new Packers records for futility). Kaepernick went 17-of-31 for 263 yards and two TDs to WR Michael Crabtree, but he also ran for 181 yards on 16 carries and scored two TDs.

Kaepernick’s 181 yards rushing was the most ever by a QB in any game, breaking Michael Vick’s 173 yards for the Atlanta Falcons in 2002.

Kaepernick’s performance was an all-time great playoff effort, and is unlucky to not rank higher on this list. However, the top-three performances on our list occurred on the biggest day of the football calendar. It is impossible to go past these efforts.

Next: Jerry Rice in Super Bowl XXIII