Packers Break The Routine Green Bay Upsets San Francisco 27-17, Changes Look Of The Nfc Championship
The 49ers had been here dozens of times, watching a muddied team limp from the Candlestick Park field with their Super Bowl hopes stolen.
It brought some of them to tears Saturday afternoon when that team was them.
Somebody get the ghosts on the line. The Green Bay Packers are going to a championship game for the first time since Fuzzy Thurston was still fuzzy after a 27-17 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers.
“Before the game, somebody was using that high school term - ‘They put their jocks on the same way we do,”’ said Packers quarterback Brett Favre, grinning behind his usual stubble. “I guess they do.”
And as it turns out, they also mourn the same.
“On this team, winning the Super Bowl is the only standard of excellence,” said 49ers guard Jesse Sapolu, still dabbing moisture from his eyes. “What happened today, I will not accept it. I will not.”
In a game that was finished after 19 minutes - when the Packers held a 21-0 lead and had outgained the 49ers by 171 yards - the official ending was even more revealing.
On one side of the field, a man was running up and down in front of the stands, slapping hands, waving his fist, a one-man parade.
Last year, after the National Football Conference Championship game here, that man was 49ers quarterback Steve Young.
This year, it was Packers defensive end Reggie White.
“We’ve made a very big step today,” said White after his team advanced to the NFC Championship, their first title appearance since 1967.
On the other sideline, a man limped toward the locker room with dirt falling off his face, his white pants nearly black, his head bowed.
Last year, that man was a visiting quarterback named Aikman.
This year, it was hometown hero Steve Young.
“We could find plenty of excuses but we can’t take them,” Young said. “We’ll take it on the nose.”
And off the ears, and between the eyes, and off the top of the head, and everywhere else after being victimized by a Three Stooges-style beating and embarrassment by the better-prepared Packers.
Under a new plan by defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur - the former Los Angeles Rams coach who has made a career out of the unexpected - the Packers made the 49ers offense look like it was playing in a backyard.
Sometimes the Packers rushed seven men. Other times they played with seven defensive backs. Each time, they pushed, punched, and prodded the 49ers into blown routes, dropped balls and eventually fights.
“Coming in here we got no respect, so we showed no respect,” said Packers receiver Robert Brooks.
The result was a disorganized mess featuring an NFL-playoff record 65 passes by Young, who completed 32 while throwing the rest to heaven-knows-where.
Young threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Fullback Adam Walker lost a fumble that was returned 31 yards by Craig Newsome for the game’s first score.
Young was sacked three times. And in the world’s most efficient passing offense, nobody even came close to catching a touchdown pass.
By the time docile tight end Brent Jones was taking wild swings at defenders, while untouchable receiver Jerry Rice was stuffing his shoulder pads back in, it was clear the mighty 49ers had been spooked.
And this was still in the first half.
“We saw some desperation in their eyes,” Packers safety Leroy Butler said. “You don’t want any small-town guys from Green Bay to kick your tail like that. I’d be frustrated too.”
And then there was Favre, who only had the best game of his best season.
He completed 11 of his first 12 passes, one of those completions being a 3-yard touchdown pass to Keith Jackson.
That gave the Packers an early two-touchdown lead while capping a four-play drive in which all 62 yards came on Favre passes.
Another completion was a 13-yard touchdown pass to Mark Chmura that, with the extra point, gave the Packers a 21-0 lead only 4 minutes into the second quarter. On that drive, 69 of 72 yards came on Favre passes.
During the afternoon he completed one 11-yard pass to Antonio Freeman on a blind lob after being spun around by a blitz.
Later, he completed a 28-yard pass to Jackson after Favre had slipped to the ground. Instead of staying there, though, he jumped to his feet and threw without seemingly looking.
That first great pass is what stunned 49ers coach George Seifert.
“That was a statement … I mean, that ball was literally up for grabs and they came down with it,” he said, shaking his head.
That second great pass is what stunned Gary Plummer, the 49ers linebacker beaten by Jackson for most of 101 yards worth of catches in the tight end’s best day as a Packer.
Regarding the Packers possible foe in the NFC Championship game next Sunday, Favre said, “I’m sure everybody is going to think that Dallas will beat Philly (today), then Green Bay will go on to Dallas next week and the same thing will happen.”
Packers 27, 49ers 17
Green Bay 14 7 3 3 - 27
San Francisco 0 3 7 7 - 17
First quarter
GB-Newsome 31 fumble return (Jacke kick), 7:20.
GB-Jackson 3 pass from Favre (Jacke kick), 10:47.
Second quarter
GB-Chmura 13 pass from Favre (Jacke kick), 3:39.
SF-FG Wilkins 21, 13:04.
Third quarter
SF-S.Young 1 run (Wilkins kick), 7:14.
GB-FG Jacke 27, 14:43.
Fourth quarter
GB-FG Jacke 26, 7:59.
SF-Loville 2 run (Wilkins kick), 14:10.
A-69,311.
GB SF First downs 18 25 Rushes-yards 28-74 18-87 Passing 294 308 Punt Returns 3-17 3-14 Kickoff Returns 3-55 3-63 Interceptions Ret. 2-4 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 21-28-0 32-65-2 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-5 3-20 Punts 5-39 5-44 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2 Penalties-Yards 5-35 8-72 Time of Possession 30:16 29:44
Individual statistics RUSHINGGreen Bay, Bennett 23-51, Brooks 1-15, Favre 3-11, Levens 1-(minus 3). San Francisco, S.Young 9-77, Loville 8-5, Rice 1-5.
PASSINGGreen Bay, Favre 21-28-0-299. San Francisco, S.Young 32-65-2-328.
RECEIVINGGreen Bay, Brooks 4-103, Jackson 4-101, Chmura 3-19, Levens 3-17, Ingram 3-10, Morgan 2-30, Freeman 2-19. San Francisco, Rice 11-117, Jones 8-112, Loville 7-70, Stokes 3-24, Taylor 1-7, Carter 1-1, Walker 1-(minus 3).
MISSED FIELD GOALSGreen Bay, Jacke 44.