The Green Bay Packers squandered a late lead and saw their inspired playoff run came to a heartbreaking end at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday night. The San Francisco 49ers scored 10 straight points in the fourth quarter and then turned over Jordan Love on the final possession to escape the Packers’ upset bid and book a trip to the NFC title game.
The Packers are done in 2023. Matt LaFleur’s team won 10 games and lost nine. It was a season of ups, downs, incredible moments and heartbreaking endings, but the Packers grew immensely from start to finish and were minutes away from playing in the conference title game.
Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ divisional round loss to the 49ers:
Stars
DL Kenny Clark: He led the team with four pressures and a half-sack. No player up front worked harder to disrupt plays against the run and pass. On several occasions, Clark hustled down the line of scrimmage and helped make big stops on the perimeter.
RB Aaron Jones: The veteran running back hit 100 rushing yards for the fifth straight game, a new franchise record. Of his 108 rushing yards, 94 came after first contact, and he broke seven tackles. His 53-yard run in the fourth quarter could have been a historic play in recent Packers postseason history had they finished the deal. He produced six total first downs. Two of his pass-blocking snaps were fantastic.
Studs
WR Romeo Doubs: Building on his incredible performance in Dallas, Doubs caught four more passes for a team-high 83 receiving yards. He drew a pass interference penalty on the opening drive (might have been a touchdown without the infraction), had a 38-yarder on an out-breaking route when the cornerback slipped down, and he got two feet in bounds on a 22-yard dot from Jordan Love on an off-schedule third down play. His 15-yard catch in the third quarter got the Packers inside the 5-yard line, setting up Tucker Kraft’s touchdown catch.
OLB Rashan Gary: He delivered four pressures, including a quarterback hit that forced a poor throw on third down. He also made two run stops from the edge, and he created a third down stop (setting up the 52-yard field goal) on a pressure and takedown of Brock Purdy.
DL Karl Brooks: He rushed the passer 16 times. Four times, he hurried Brock Purdy into a checkdown or a bad throw. Brooks played a big part in the interior pressure that kept Purdy uncomfortable for most of the night.
CB Jaire Alexander: Purdy mostly avoided throwing to the left perimeter and got most of his big plays between the numbers. Alexander covered well and tackled well (5 tackles, zero misses). PFF charted him with allowing only two short completions into his coverage.
LB Eric Wilson: His hustle play on Keisean Nixon’s 73-yard kickoff return saved the day. He recovered the fumble in a crowd of 49ers and set up the Packers’ go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.
DL Colby Wooden: The rookie’s blocked field goal took three points off the board and kept the half-time score at 7-6.
Duds
S Darnell Savage: He dropped a potential pick-six, got beat by George Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown pass in man coverage, missed a tackle in the open field on Christian McCaffrey’s long touchdown run and was part of the communication breakdown on Kittle’s explosive play on third-and-long in the second half.
S Jonathan Owens: He was late getting to Kittle on the explosive play mentioned above and then missed the tackle. While possibly blocked in the back, Owens also wasn’t able to get McCaffrey down as the last defender on his long touchdown run. On the go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Owens was late reacting and his diving tackle attempt barely detered McCaffrey’s run to the end zone.
QB Jordan Love: For most of three quarters, Love played exceptional football. But his performance over the final four drives played a big role in the Packers melting under pressure down the stretch. He threw behind Tucker Kraft on a third down, causing an unforced turnover. He and Aaron Jones weren’t on the same page on a third down, causing a punt. He wasn’t able to cash in Jones’ long run into a touchdown, setting up the missed field goal. And he threw arguably the worst pass of his 2023 season on the final drive, ending the game. There were some inaccurate stretches in the first half, too.
K Anders Carlson: No matter your experience level or the pressure of the moment, you can’t miss a 41-yard field goal in the NFL.
DL Devonte Wyatt: The Packers got little impact from his 42 snaps. He had zero pressures but also missed two tackles, including one where Christian McCaffrey wiggled away at the line of scrimmage for a positive gain. Wyatt must become a better finisher in 2024.
RT Yosh Nijman: He entered the game after Zach Tom went out with a concussion and struggled in pass pro. The veteran allowed four pressure and a quarterback hit over the final four drives. The uptick in pressure certainly contributed to the offense’s meltdown late.
