Packers: Top three performers from NFC Championship loss
By Jesse Fry
With a loud thud, the Green Bay Packers came crashing down to Earth after a solid season. Although the team fell short of their goal, these players played well in a losing effort.
The Packers were outmuscled in just about every sense of the phrase. They were manhandled by the 49ers in the trenches and were unable to come up with key stops in the game.
If the game plan was to make Jimmy Garoppolo beat them with his arm, the plan failed miserably. The Packers weren’t even able to get the 49ers into passing situations, allowing big gains on the ground and Raheem Mostert to rush for an NFC Championship-record 220 yards on the ground.
Garoppolo only threw eight times because the 49ers never needed him to be a factor. Even late in the game when the entire world knew the 49ers would be running the ball, there was nothing the Packers could do to stop it.
Trailing by only 14 points with about eight minutes left to go, all the Packers had to do was come up with a stop to have a realistic chance to get back into the game. But the 49ers just ran it right down their throats.
After what was a memorable season, the Packers were not able to take advantage of a golden opportunity and will now head into the offseason looking for answers on run defense and on offense.
Matt LaFleur’s rookie season should be seen as a success even if he did come up short of the ultimate goal. He tied a record for wins by a first-year head coach and was one game away from being the only rookie in Packers history to make it this far.
There wasn’t much for the Packers to hang their hat on in this game, but these three players stood out.