The San Francisco 49ers' unlikely run in the NFL playoffs continued on Saturday as they knocked off Aaron Rodgers and the top seeded Green Bay Packers to advance to the NFC Championship Game next weekend.
The 49ers are now just one win away from appearing in their second Super Bowl in the past 3 seasons and two wins from ending their 27-year championship drought.
On Monday's episode of KCBS Radio's "Bay Current," host Matt Pitman and KCBS Radio sports and news anchor Ted Ramey discussed the team's incredible Divisional Round upset and how they put themselves in this remarkable position.
"It really shows you how important the run game and your ability to defend are in the NFL, because those two travel," Ramey said. "The 49ers can go out and grind out games…It's a very hard team to play."
The Niners' offense doesn't have the same explosion as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, who lit up the sports world Sunday night in an epic game to conclude a thrilling weekend of football. However, their ability to run the ball in a variety of ways, coupled with stout defense, gives them a chance to win against most teams even without a game-breaking quarterback.
"The way they run the ball, the way they use Deebo Samuel… they can kind of do it all," Ramey said.
The 49ers entered the year with high expectations, but injuries and inconsistent play forced them into a position where they needed to win on the final day of the regular season to even qualify for the playoffs. Since that time, they've upset the Los Angeles Rams in the season finale, the rival Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, and finally the championship-favored Packers last weekend, all on the road.
"It's just really interesting to watch the 49ers," he explained. "You knew going into this year that they had all the ability, and you knew if they were healthy they would not entirely replicate the dream season of 2019 was, but could find themselves in this position of the NFC Championship game. It's just the way that it’s gone this year with injuries, with all the controversy in drafting Trey Lance and pushing Jimmy Garoppolo and the fact that he's gotten hurt and so many other 49ers have dealt with injuries, you didn't know if it would end up here."
"But I think that we're not too surprised by the fact that they're here because when they play their game, I truly believe they’re capable of beating anyone," Ramey added.
Next up for the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game: A third matchup with the Rams, a division rival they have beaten six consecutive times.
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