The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers' Crushing ...

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw two second half interceptions as San Francisco ... [+] rallied for a 24-21 win in the NFC divisional playoffs.

Missed opportunities.

Wasted chances.

That’s why the Green Bay Packers’ season ended Saturday night.

A dropped interception. A failed fourth down deep in San Francisco territory. A missed field goal late.

The Packers had all of those foibles and suffered a 24-21 heartbreaking loss to host San Francisco in the NFC divisional playoffs. It marked the fifth straight time the 49ers defeated the Packers in the playoffs.

San Francisco made all the key plays in the fourth quarter and got the game-winner when Christian McCaffrey ripped off a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left in the contest.

Green Bay had one final chance, but Jordan Love was intercepted by Dre Greenlaw for the second time.

The top-seeded 49ers improved to 13-5 and will host the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 28. The seventh-seeded Packers, the NFL’s youngest team,. ended the year 10-9.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the 49ers’ win over the Packers:

STAYING AGGRESSIVE: The Packers won the coin toss, took the ball as they have in recent weeks, then drove for a field goal that gobbled up 7 minutes, 38 seconds. Green Bay went 58 yards in 14 plays — running the ball eight times for 30 yards along the way.

The Packers picked up two of three first downs on the march. And according to ESPN’s Stats and Info, that was the second-longest drive of the year against San Francisco.

STRONG START: The Packers outgained the 49ers, 111-22, in the first quarter and had seven first downs to San Francisco’s one. The Packers ran 22 plays, while the 49ers’ had just five, and Green Bay held the ball 11:47 vs. just 3:13 for San Francisco.

Unfortunately for Green Bay, after all that it led just 3-0.

BO KNOWS: Bo Melton was on the Packers’ practice squad until Week 15. In the last six games, though, he’s shown his future is bright.

Early in the third quarter, Melton drew a 41-yard penalty on 49ers nickel back Ambry Thomas that gave Green Bay the ball at San Francisco’s 19. On the next play, Melton got wide open behind the 49ers’ defense, did a nice job getting his feet down and hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love that gave Green Bay a 13-7 lead.

NOW THAT’S SPECIAL: It’s been a long time since the Packers have had a special teams success in the postseason. That changed Saturday night, though.

On the final play of the first half, rookie defensive end Colby Wooden blocked Jake Moody’s 48-yard field goal. Wooden timed his jump perfectly, got a hand on the ball and his big play helped the Packers stay within 7-6 at the break.

That was Green Bay’s first blocked field goal in the postseason since Datone Jones had one against Dallas on Jan. 11, 2015.

Then midway through the third quarter, Keisean Nixon ripped off a 73-yard kick return, but fumbled. Fortunately for the Packers, linebacker Eric Wilson was ‘Johnny on the Spot’ and recovered the loose ball at San Francisco’s 20.

Four plays later, Jordan Love hit tight end Tucker Kraft with a 2-yard touchdown pass. Running back Aaron Jones then caught a two-point conversion pass giving Green Bay a 21-14 lead.

THIS AND THAT: Packers running back Aaron Jones eclipsed 100 yards for the fifth straight game. … Jordan Love beat the blitz with a ridiculous 22-yard throw to Romeo Doubs late in the first half that took Green Bay to the San Francisco 9-yard line. The drive died, though, and the Packers settled for a 29-yard field goal. … Green Bay punter Daniel Whelan did a terrific job corralling a low snap on Carlson’s second field goal.

COSTLY INTERCEPTIONS: Jordan Love had not thrown an interception since Dec. 11 when the Packers faced the New York Giants. But Love missed tight end Tucker Kraft badly late in the third quarter and San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw intercepted.

That interception led to a San Francisco field goal that trimmed the Packers’ lead to 21-17.

Then on the Packers’ final possession of the night, Love rolled right, then threw late and back across the field. Greenlaw intercepted again — ending both the game and Green Bay’s season.

DEADLY DROP: Darnell Savage was one of Green Bay’s heroes against Dallas with a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown. Savage had a chance to play hero again, when 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw a pass right to Savage on San Francisco’s opening drive.

This time, though, Savage dropped what would have been another pick-six that would have given Green Bay a 10-0 lead. Like many other plays, that one loomed large late in the game.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The Packers led, 3-0, early in the second quarter and had a third-and-1 from the 49ers’ 14.

On third down, Green Bay lined up in shotgun and Aaron Jones ran up the middle for no gain. Why the Packers were operating out of shotgun on that on third-and-1 is a mystery?

On fourth down, the Packers ran a quarterback sneak with Jordan Love. But Green Bay got little penetration up front and Dre Greenlaw and Arik Armstead stopped Love for no gain.

SHANAHAN BESTS LAFLEUR AGAIN: San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan improved to 3-0 in his career against Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur.

The 49ers defeated the Packers, 37-20, in the 2019 NFC Championship Game. San Francisco also downed Green Bay, 13-10, in the 2021 NFC divisional playoffs.

LaFleur and Shanahan worked together in Houston, Washington and Atlanta earlier in their careers.

Shanahan, the son of two-time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan, was the offensive coordinator in Houston in 2008-‘09. LaFleur was an offensive assistant with the Texans those same years.

Shanahan became the offensive coordinator for his father in Washington from 2010-’13, then held that same position on Dan Quinn’s staff in Atlanta from 2015-’16. Each time, LaFleur was on the staff as the quarterbacks coach.

When they’ve met in the postseason, though, Shanahan has owned LaFleur.

AWFUL ANDRES: No kicker missed more kicks in the National Football League in 2023 than Green Bay rookie Anders Carlson. So it was no surprise that Carlson pulled a 41-yard field goal wide left late in the fourth quarter that would have given the Packers a 24-17 lead.

Carlson missed at least one kick in his final five games and 10 of his last 12 contests.

The Packers had every chance to bring in a veteran down the stretch and chose to stick with their unreliable rookie. In the end, it was one of the reasons their season ended Saturday night.

SHODDY TACKLING: Midway through the third quarter, Jonathan Owens missed a tackle that led to a 32-yard reception by tight end George Kittle. On the next play, Darnell Savage had a clean shot on Christian McCaffrey in the hole and whiffed, and the all-world running back ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run that gave the 49ers a 14-13 lead.

Those two plays showed why the Packers will likely take a safety high in April’s draft or sign at least one in free agency.