No matter what this season was supposed to be, losing this game the way we did, stings. We walked into this season just wanting to see whether or not Jordan Love could play. It started rough, but we got our answer. And then we got more. And more. There's not a single person alive who can honestly say they thought the Packers would reach the divisional playoffs in the 2023 season. Maybe they said it as a wish or a pipe dream, but no one predicted this, and if they did, it was just on a whim of hopeful fandom. But they got this far, and they nearly took it further. The Packers' offense seemed to be having their way in this game up until the fourth quarter where they couldn't score at all. We entered the fourth quarter up 21-14 and I thought, "By God, the way this is going, we could pull this off." But then it just went south. 

Aaron Jones with another excellent game on the ground led the way as the Packers offense was rolling early. Apart from the turnover on downs to start the second quarter, everything went well except for the lack of getting in the end-zone. But hey, we went into halftime only down by 1, so in the moment, that didn't seem to matter. And matter it did not as the second half began with two straight touchdowns for the Packers offense. But unfortunately, that's when the first seed became the first seed and showed us why they were in this position as the Packers just couldn't get anything going late. 

Looking at the defense, all we heard this week was how San Francisco had such a much more high-powered offense than Dallas and that the Packers wouldn't be able to stop them. Well, for the most part, they did a decent job. Had the offense been able to capitalize earlier turning field goals to touchdowns and turnovers on downs into points, this could've been 17-7 at the half. But then in the second half, it seemed like this defense couldn't make a tackle to save its life, and it finally bit them with the 49ers scoring 17 more to wrap it up. 

Let's get to the recap:

First Quarter:

After winning the toss the Packers elected to receive the ball to start the game and would begin their drive from their own 31-yard line. After a swing pass to Aaron Jones was thrown a bit high and incomplete, Jones then took a handoff for 7 yards before Jordan Love hit Luke Musgrave for the Packers' first first-down of the game on a 7-yard pass to the GB 45. Another nice 5-yard run by Jones set up 3rd and short just past midfield where Jones would take the handoff again getting the first down to the SF 44-yard line. On 2nd and 6 another big hole opened for Aaron Jones as he took off for 10 yards to the SF 30-yard line. The Packers, chewing away at the Niner's defense to kick it off. Two Emanuel Wilson runs later set up 3rd and 6 where Jordan Love would target Romeo Doubs, but the SF defender would interfere and be flagged for DPI giving the Packers 1st and 10 from the SF 13. After a loss on an Aaron Jones run and a short Ben Sims catch the Packers faced 3rd and 8 where a pass to the endzone intended for Romeo Doubs would fall incomplete on a good play by the defender Charvarius Ward forcing the Packers to attempt, and convert a 29-yard Anders Carlson putting them up 3-0 in this one with 7:22 remaining in the opening quarter. 

After the kickoff, the 49ers would take over for their first drive of the game at their own 20-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Brock Purdy would hit Deebo Samuel on a screen that would go for 15 yards to the SF 40-yard line. After a false start on first down Brock Purdy nearly threw an INT to Darnell Savage but Savage couldn’t hold on. That pick could’ve been six points for a second straight week but unfortunately, instead, Savage was left with a few frustrated outbursts before returning to the defensive backfield. A 9-yard Deebo Samuel catch would set up 3rd and 6 from the SF 44-yard line where Brock Purdy would be sacked by a combination of Kenny Clark and Preston Smith for a loss of 7 and SF would be forced to punt. A huge punt for 57 yards would be returned 12 yards by Jayden Reed to the GB 18 where the Packers would take over with 4:09 left in the first quarter.  

With their second drive of the game, on second down, Gibson of SF would hit Christian Watson a bit early drawing a DPI putting GB at first and 10 from their 25. Two plays later the Packers would face 3rd and 6 where Love would hit Romeo Doubs for a 37-yard pass down to the SF 33-yard line. Ward, who was defending Doubs fell on the play giving the easy catch to Doubs. After going backward off an ineligible man downfield penalty on Sean Rhyan, Emanuel Wilson caught a Jordan Love pass and got a great block from Tucker Kraft to take the ball 11 yards for the first down. Kraft unfortunately was hurt on the play. A nine-yard Aaron Jones run would take the Packers to 3rd and 1 from the SF 14 where Jordan Love would attempt to draw SF offsides before the clock would expire on the opening quarter. A great lead block by Josiah Deguara on that Jones run as well as Zach Tom doing some big work in space to break that run. 

Second Quarter:

Kicking off the 2nd quarter with 3rd and 1 from the SF 14, Love would hand off to Aaron Jones but he would be short of the line to gain, however, the Packers would line up quickly on 4th down to run a Jordan Love sneak that would be marked short of the first down. It looked to me like Jordan Love got the first down, but the refs would mark it short, and the 49ers would take over on downs.  

The 49ers would take over with 14:30 left in the second quarter. They’d earn their first first down of the drive off a Brock Purdy sneak on third down, and then another off two more Christian McCaffrey runs to the SF 37. Two plays later Purdy would hit Jennings for 16 yards to the GB 47. On the next play, Purdy would hit Aiyuk for another 10 yards to the GB 37. Three plays later Brock Purdy would hit George Kittle in the endzone for a 32-yard touchdown. The 49ers would go up 7-3 with 8:42 remaining in the 2nd quarter.  

Taking over at their own 25 after the kickoff, on the first play Love would hit a wide-open Jayden Reed for 27 yards to the SF 48. A nice start for the Packers offense before Aaron Jones would avoid three tackles for a nine-yard run before getting forced out of bounds and then Jones would run up the middle for the first down on a 5-yard carry to the SF 34. Jordan Love would be forced out of the pocket for a short gain on first down, where after Love was hit out of bounds tempers flared and the referees would call off-setting penalties on both teams setting up 2nd and 7. A play later Jordan Love would hit Doubs on an outstanding throw for 22 yards to the 9-yard line. After that big play there were two Aaron Jones plays, a run for no gain, and a pass that would unfortunately lose 2 yards before on third down, Jordan Love would have to throw it out the back of the endzone setting up an Anders Carlson 29-yard attempt that he would drive right down the middle to take the score to 7-6 with 4:09 left in the 2nd quarter.  

San Francisco would take over at their own 25 after the touchback on the kickoff. On the second play of the drive, Purdy would hit Jauan Jennings for a 12-yard catch to the SF 38 before a 2-yard McCaffrey run would take us to the two-minute warning. Three Christian McCaffrey plays gained 17 yards to the GB 43 before SF would face 3rd and 2. On that play, Purdy would hit Jennings for 4 yards before SF would take their second timeout with 1st and 10 from the GB 39-yard line. Three plays later the 49ers would attempt a field goal from 48 yards out and it would be tipped by Colby Wooden and fall no good.  

Jordan Love would kneel the ball after the blocked field goal to take us to halftime with the Packers trailing 7-6.  

Third Quarter:

After the Packers elected to receive the opening kickoff, the 49ers would receive to start the second half at their own 25. On the first play of the drive, Kenny Clark would hit Jennings in the backfield for a loss of 1 on the play, and after a 7-yard pass on 2nd, the Niners faced 3rd and 5 where Purdy would throw an incompletion to force a three and out. The 49ers would punt, and the Packers would take over at their own 25 with 13:28 remaining in the third quarter. A huge stop for the Packers' defense early in the second half.  

The Packers would kick off their first possession of the second half with a 7-yard catch by Tucker Kraft before a short Aaron Jones run would set up 3rd and 1 and Aaron Jones would just get enough for the first down up the middle. On the next play Jayden Reed would take an end-around for nine yards to the GB 44-yard line and two plays later, on third and short, Jordan Love would run a sneak up the middle and pick up the first down. However, he would be marked short, and the Packers would have to challenge where they would be successful. The Packers should not have had to challenge that call, that was an awful spot. On the next play, Jordan Love had his foot stepped on by Josh Myers and Jones dropped the toss from Jordan Love but luckily fell on it for a huge loss. Two plays later, however, a SF defender would interfere with Bo Melton on a deep shot and be called for DPI setting up the Packers at the SF 19-yard line, 1st and 10. On that first down, Jordan Love would hit a wide-open Bo Melton in the endzone for the Packers touchdown. After Anders Carlson drilled the extra point through the uprights, the Packers would go up 13-7 with 9:27 remaining on the clock of the 3rd quarter. 

The 49ers offense would take over at their own 25-yard line for their second drive of the half. After two plays they faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29 where Purdy would hit George Kittle for a 32-yard pass down to the Packers’ 39-yard line. And on the very next play, Christian McCaffrey took a run right up the middle and walked straight to the endzone for a 39-yard touchdown. The 49ers would go up 14-13 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.  

After a huge kick return by Keisean Nixon, in which he fumbled it, recovered by Eric Wilson, the Packers would start this drive in excellent field position at the SF 20-yard line. Two plays in Jordan Love fit the ball between defenders to Romeo Doubs to the SF 5-yard line for 1st and goal. Then on 2nd down, Jordan Love would hit Tucker Kraft for a short pass that he would take across the goal line for the touchdown. The Packers would then attempt a two-point conversion and off a Jordan Love pass to Aaron Jones the Packers would get the two to go up 21-14 with 5:23 remaining in the 3rd quarter.  

After a decent return for the 49ers, Trent Williams would be called for a 15-yard penalty and the Niners would have to start this drive from their own 13-yard line. Two plays in, SF faced 3rd and 5 where Purdy would throw an incompletion between defenders forcing a punt once again. Keisean Nixon could’ve had a pick on that play but the Packers took over after the punt from their own 37-yard line with 3:43 remaining in the third.  

To kick off the drive, Christian Watson took a short pass 11 yards for the first down to the GB 49 before the Packers would face 3rd and 11 after a loss on an Aaron Jones run and an incompletion. On that play, a Jordan Love pass would be tipped by Tucker Kraft and Dre Greenlaw would intercept the pass going down at midfield.  

The 49ers would take over at the Packers’ 48-yard line with 2:02 remaining in the 3rd. After two plays SF would be faced with 3rd and 9 where Purdy would hit Aiyuk for a 12-yard gain to the GB 35-yard line. Again, two plays later, the Niners would be faced with 3rd and long where Brock Purdy would be taken down after only a 1–2-yard gain by Rashan Gary. This is where the 3rd quarter would expire with the Packers up 21-14. 

Fourth Quarter:

Starting the 4th quarter, the Niners would send out the Field Goal unit to attempt a 52-yard field goal that Moody would drive up the middle taking the score to 21-17 Packers. 

Starting their first drive of the final quarter at their own 25-yard line, the Packers would face 3rd and 2 quickly where Jordan Love would throw the ball behind Aaron Jones unfortunately causing the Packers to go three and out, punting the ball away to SF who would take over from their own 25-yard line with 13:22 remaining in the game.  

Taking over again, the 49ers got a big run from Christian McCaffrey taking the ball 10 yards to the SF 39. Three plays later, Purdy hit Jennings for a 21-yard gain to the GB 40-yard line. Again San Francisco faced 3rd and 10, this time Purdy threw an incompletion forcing SF to punt the ball away. The Packers would take over at their own 10-yard line with 9:37 remaining in the 4th quarter.  

On the very first play of the drive, Aaron Jones took off on a 53-yard run to the SF 37-yard line. A play later after SF was called for a neutral zone infraction and after that Emanuel Wilson took off on an 8-yard run for a first down. Two plays later, the Packers were faced with 3rd and 9 where Love would throw an incompletion under a lot of pressure setting up a Field Goal attempt of 41 yards by Anders Carlson that he would miss wide left. 

The 49ers would take over from their own 31-yard line with 6:18 remaining in the game. Facing 3rd and 1 early, Purdy would take a sneak up the middle for a first down as the clock would tick under 5 minutes remaining. Two more plays passed and the Niners faced 3rd and 5 this time where Aiyuk would make the first down catch for 10 yards to the GB 43-yard line. A play later Purdy would hit Conley for 17 yards to the GB 26-yard line. Two plays later McCaffrey would get the first down on a run to the GB 15 where we would reach the two-minute warning. Three plays later Christian McCaffrey would take a run 6 yards for the touchdown taking the lead 24-21 with 1:07 remaining in the game. 

With three timeouts, and a chance to tie or win the game with 1:07 remaining, Jordan Love would take over at his own 25. An 8-yard catch by Doubs but then an incompletion to Doubs would start the drive before on 3rd and 2 Luke Musgrave would make a catch for the first down before the Packers would take a timeout at the GB 36-yard line with 52 seconds remaining. On the next play, Jordan Love would launch a prayer on the run that would be intercepted by Dre Greenlaw.  

The 49ers would kneel the ball to wind out the clock for the victory. The Packers would be eliminated from the playoffs in the divisional round in a 24-21 loss to San Francisco.

Offensive Player of the Game:

While he didn't reach the end-zone in this one, Aaron Jones still made a big difference in this game. He had 18 carries for 108 yards and 3 receptions for 8. I felt that he maybe could've been used a little more but the San Francisco defense began bottling him up late in the game and he wasn't able to have his way in the running game as he was before. He's under contract for next season and even though he has a hefty price tag, I sincerely hope Jones returns as he is just the heart and soul of this team.

Defensive Player of the Game:

Nobody truly stuck out to me in this one as the definite defensive player of the game. But Kenny Clark is going to get the award for this game. He shared a sack with Preston Smith and had some pretty good stops in the run game as well as got a few good pressures on Brock Purdy. It wasn't huge, but it was still a decent game for Kenny.

What Went Right:

Bo Melton showing up again with a big touchdown catch

Romeo Doubs might be taking the lead as WR1. As much as I don't want this team to have a true WR1 yet, Doubs has been solid lately coming up with huge catches. 

Aaron Jones, 'nuff said.

How about Colby Wooden getting his big paw up on the blocked kick to end the half? At the moment, that was huge as it resulted in zero points later on for the 49ers on back-to-back possessions around the half. 

What Went Wrong:

Tackling. Just, tackling. I'd been so satisfied with the guys wrapping up the ball carrier late in the season but sadly that all ended quickly. It seemed like we couldn't get Christian McCaffrey down on first contact to save our lives.

Anders Carlson. I knew it was inevitable he'd miss one. And man did it come at a bad time. 

Joe Barry's defense handed six points to the 49ers late when it mattered for the season. For as much as this defense battles during games, I swear they just give it right up when it matters. It was like a given that San Francisco was going to get a touchdown late, inevitable and disgusting. 

Looking Forward:

The future is bright for this team. I've been trying to remind myself that no one expected us to be here. I didn't even expect us to be here but yet here we were, the second round of the playoffs, as if nothing changed the last year or so. This team is young, they believe in themselves, and they believe in each other. Titletown has a bright future ahead and I can't wait to watch it. The sore spot for me after a season ends without hoisting a Lombardi trophy is that now I have to wait until August to watch Packers football again. You know how much life has to be lived until then? A lot. Can we just fast-forward to training camp? No? Oh well. I guess we'll just have to wait, but hopefully this time, the wait is worth it. 

I want to thank every one of you who has read my game recaps since preseason game 1 of this season. It's been a fun ride, one I didn't see going in this direction early, but I'm so glad it did. I look forward to bringing you all more Packers stories on CheeseheadTV to come. Thank you, and Go Pack Go.