5 reasons 49ers ultimately managed to beat Packers in NFL playoffs

Reason No. 3: An outrageous defense

A feeling of apprehension swept over San Francisco for several days. Nick Bosa, their otherworldly defensive end, found himself stuck in concussion protocols with little to no status updates.

However, as the days slowly ticked by, Bosa began progressing. He was officially tabbed as a full go one day before facing the Packers. With Bosa sauntering his way onto the field, he never appeared unnerved.

On multiple occasions, the defensive end placed his hand in the dirt and shrugged off opposing offensive tackles while he made his way to Aaron Rodgers. Bosa made the likely back-to-back regular season MVP uncomfortable in the pocket as he ran for his life. On two separate occasions, Bosa wrapped his mammoth hands around Rodgers and pushed him into the cold snow.

Bosa’s two sacks were memorable but we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the contributions of Arik Armstead. Although he wasn’t a huge sack guy during the regular season, recording only six, he tied with Bosa for a team-leading two sacks and two QB hits.

Up front, the 49ers were terrific but as a whole, the 49ers held the likely MVP to just 10 points and 225 passing yards at home and zero passing touchdowns for only the second time in his postseason career. The 49ers defense needs to take a bow, that was a masterclass.