Despite looking off-kilter for much of the game, quarterback Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers orchestrated a game-winning drive in the final minutes of Saturday's game to take a 24-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers, earning their fourth trip to the NFC Championship Game in the last five years, and the QB's second in his two NFL seasons.
The Niners settled down in the final 15 minutes, putting together a few key defensive stops and a pair of scoring drives to overcome the Packers' seven-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
It marked the first time San Francisco has won a game under head coach Kyle Shanahan when trailing by more than five points entering the fourth quarter, having lost the previous 31 instances, including playoffs.
An interception by Dre Greenlaw gave Purdy and the offense good field position on what ended up being a field goal to close the gap, and then a punt and missed field goal by the Packers opened the door for Purdy and the offense to drive down the field for a go-ahead touchdown.
Suddenly, Purdy looked every bit the dynamic quarterback he'd been throughout most of the season, leading his offense 69 yards in 12 plays, winding down the clock to just over a minute before Christian McCaffrey ran it in to take the lead. The Niners sealed the win with Greenlaw's second interception of the night.
"It's like, we had what we wanted right in front of us, so you have to clean the slate, you have to have a clean mind, and not try to force anything, take what the defense gives you, and find a way," Purdy said of the final scoring drive after the game.
After completing 53% of his passes leading into that possession, Purdy was 6-for-7 passing for 47 yards on the final drive, connecting with five
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