Game grades from 49ers resilient divisional round win over Packers

Braving the elements, the 49ers earned a hard-nosed win over the Packers.

In the playoffs, it doesn’t matter if a game was pretty. It doesn’t matter if every offensive play works, and every player performs at 100%. It doesn’t matter if a team wins by 35 or 3. All that matters at the end of the day, they keep the dream of a Super Bowl alive. With that in mind, the 49ers 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers was an absolute success.

The 49ers were 6-point underdogs against the Packers (h/t BetSided), playing in freezing temperatures, with talent disparity at some of the key positions, most particularly quarterback.

In Week 3, these two teams faced off, with the Packers winning on a last-second field goal in a game they had the upper hand in throughout. Both teams had changed since then, with the Packers gaining a more multi-layered defensive attack while the 49ers defense and offense had emerged into bonafide top-10 units per weighted DVOA (h/t 49ersWebzone).

And though the 49ers offense rattled off four straight three-and-outs to be capped off with an interception in the red zone in the first half, the defense managed to keep the team at only a touchdown disadvantage. The second half was a struggle on both sides, with a 49ers field goal being matched by a Packers field goal until this play by Jordan Willis and Talanoa Hufanga.

The 49ers defense had one final stand, the 49ers offense had one final drive, and Robbie Gould had one final kick to seal it. Although the game was won, there were some ugly performances. We’ll assess grades for all who participated.