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.

49ers Offensive Grades

The 49ers offense was inefficient at its best and actively harmful at its worst, but when the game had to be won, they made the plays necessary.

49ers Quarterbacks

Most of the time, arguments against Jimmy Garoppolo revolve around providing meaningful context to the inflated box score stats he normally has. But for most of the first half, Garoppolo’s unsightly stat line did not explain how well he was throwing the ball. He hit multiple players in stride only for them to drop the ball. But as the game progressed, Garoppolo’s play deteriorated.

At the end of the day, Garoppolo’s stat line will not tell the story of his play. In a game where the 49ers offense was decidedly below-average, Garoppolo played an equal role in that.

Grade: D+

49ers Running Backs

The rushing attack was remarkably inefficient, and although that primarily fell on the hands of the offensive line, the running backs were not much better. Elijah Mitchell, in particular, had what seemed to be a bone-headed play in a crucial spot. On 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Mitchell had the ball and a clear outside lane behind Trent Williams, which seemed to be the play design. Yet Mitchell cut inside and was stuffed. Kyle Juszczyk had himself an explosive play, but the running backs for the 49ers had a rough game.

Grade: C-

49ers Wide Receivers

This grade will be remarkably higher because of the multi-faceted usage of Deebo Samuel. He put the team on his back when they needed a first down, and again, no matter where he is on the field, he can make a play. He was the reason the 49ers had a chance to begin with.

The rest of the 49ers receivers had themselves a less successful day. Both Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings had critical drops when the 49ers offense was floundering. It was a tough day for the 49ers receiving core sans Deebo.

Grade: C+ (Deebo: A, the rest: D)

49ers Tight Ends

George Kittle had a brutal drop but a spectacular grab and several chain-moving catches. The other 49ers tight ends had some bad plays on their own. In a game where the 49ers struggled to control the trenches, their tight ends played a big role in that.

Grade: D+

49ers Offensive Line

The 49ers offensive line got beat across the board. Right Tackle Tom Compton in particular had an atrocious performance. Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked four times and the 49ers run game was held to an inefficient 3.7 yards per carry. That usually won’t cut it in the NFL

Grade: F

49ers Defensive Grades

After the Packers scored a touchdown in the first 6 minutes of the game, the 49ers proceeded to hold them to 3 points for the rest of the game. Down a starting cornerback against an elite offense, what the 49ers were able to do was nothing short of incredible.

49ers Defensive line

For a little bit, it seemed that the 49ers had no push on the defensive line. They couldn’t stop the run or get to Aaron Rodgers in time. But then things began to change as the game progressed. 5-yard runs became 2-yard runs, and some completions were no longer thrown as the pass rush got home. The 49ers finished with 5 sacks and held the Packers rushing attack to 3.4 YPC. That’s incredible play from an elite unit that has peaked at the right time.

Grade: A

49ers Linebackers

Fred Warner forced the 49ers defense’s only takeaway of the game with a classic punch-out of the football on Mercedes Lewis. Up to that point, the linebackers had been going through a rough patch, especially on the first drive by the Packers. But just like the defensive line, they became more apparent as the game progressed. Both Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw finished with six total tackles and Azeez Al-Shaair followed with 3 of his own.

Grade: B

49ers Secondary

With the corners the 49ers have, there was never a chance of “erasing Davante Adams.” But the 49ers secondary made do with what they had and held the Packers passing attack to only 225 yards in the air before you include sacks. They bracketed Adams and played strong coverage on the other receivers, bending but never breaking.

Grade: A-

49ers Special Teams and Coaching Grades

49ers Special Teams

The 49ers special teams have been atrocious for the entire year. Waves of momentum undone by a poor play by the third phase of the game. But against the Packers, special teams won the game.

First, it was a blocked field goal by Jimmie Ward that kept the 49ers only down 7 heading into halftime. Then it was Deebo Samuel on the kick-return out of halftime to give the 49ers the ball near midfield. Then it was Jordan Willis with the play of his life, blocking a punt that Talanoa Hufanga recovered for a touchdown. And finally, it was Robbie Gould, kicking a game-winning field goal in 10 mph winds and subzero temperatures. Special teams won the 49ers a football game.

Grade: A++

49ers Coaching

DeMeco Ryans has been receiving interest as a head coaching candidate despite it being his first year as a coordinator, and this game was the best proof of concept he could have. He held the likely NFL MVP and the #1 seed Green Bay Packers offense to 10 points with masterful scheme corrections and adjustments after Green Bay gashed the 49ers.

Shanahan’s offensive playcalling was decidedly less stellar. The 49ers run game was inefficient and the 49ers passing attack was ineffective, and that reflected on the plays Shanahan called as well. Nothing worked, from play-caller to play-executors.

Shanahan’s in-game decisions were also questionable, though to a minor degree. He took a timeout to try to get the ball back at the end of the first half – good aggressiveness. Aaron Rodgers nearly scored a touchdown and luckily, the end of half field goal was blocked. He went for it on 4th-and-1 – an obvious decision. The play call was questionable, though it could have worked – less good.

Grade: B (Demeco: A+, Kyle: C)

There were good and bad all around, but the only thing that matters – the San Francisco 49ers will play in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday. A win’s a win, and the 49ers just need two more.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com