When the Green Bay Packers are the NFC's No. 1 seed, the wind chill strikes zero degrees, the snow starts falling at halftime and Aaron Rodgers is under center for the guys the yellow lids, you probably don't get many chances at victory.
It looked like the San Francisco 49ers' chances were running out on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The clock was beginning to become a factor late in the game.
While most minds were thinking about Jimmy Garoppolo's ability to author another late game-tying drive, 49ers defensive lineman Jordan Willis wasn't thinking about getting his big paws on a punt.
With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Willis blew past the Packers' long snapper and blocked a punt in the Green Bay end zone. The football fluttered in the air for a few seconds before 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga grabbed it off a bounce and ran it in for a game-tying touchdown to make it 10-10.
The 49ers needed a big spark on a night when the offense struggled to string together any long drives all evening. Hufanga also contributed on a key pass break up against Davante Adams deep down the field on the ensuing drive to force a punt.
Then it became Deebo Samuel time.
The 49ers grinded in the snow in Green Bay and drove down the field before calling a timeout with four seconds left on the clock.
Nobody can ice Robbie Gould in the postseason. The veteran kicker knocked down a 45-yard field goal as the clock expired to send the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game with a 13-10 win over the top-seeded Packers.
The 49ers entered the playoffs as a No. 6 seed, but are heading to their second NFC Championship Game of the Kyle Shanahan era.
It's been a remarkable turnaround for a team that was 3-5 to start the 2021 season and struggling to find an identity. Despite a poor effort from Garoppolo (11-of-19, 131 yards and an interception) the 49ers held on.
The only time San Francisco led all game? When Gould knocked through the game-winner.
And it never could have been possible without Willis' effort, which will became an instant classic NFL moment.
As for the Packers, now the focus turns to the offseason and the pending future of longtime quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
With the 49ers' win, coupled with the Cincinnati Bengals' win earlier on Saturday, both No. 1 seeds in the 2021 NFL Playoffs were eliminated.
