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3 Packers to Blame for Divisional Round Loss to 49ers

These three players played a factor in Green Bay's Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night.

By Richard Louis

Green Bay Packers place kicker Anders Carlson (17) watches his field goal during the second quarter
Green Bay Packers place kicker Anders Carlson (17) watches his field goal during the second quarter / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal
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3. Packers Safeties

Green Bay's defense applied pressure to Brock Purdy and had him rattled for certain parts of the game. The Packers logged six QB hits and one sack, but the defense had other opportunities to generate turnovers.

Around the five-minute mark in the first quarter, safety Darnell Savage beautifully read Purdy's pass for Brandon Aiyuk and jumped in front of it, but Savage couldn't reel in the interception. In the Wild Card round against the Cowboys, Savage snagged an interception and returned it 64 yards for a score but didn't have the same luck in this contest.

Fast forward to the second quarter, Savage got torched by tight end George Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown that gave San Francisco the lead. On the same play, rookie safety Anthony Johnson Jr. jumped down to double team Aiyuk, leaving Savage on an island.

Jonathan Owens and Savage also struggled to tackle consistently in the Divisional Round. In the third quarter, Owens gave up a wide-open pass to Kittle, then failed to bring him down, as he picked up 32 yards. On the following play, Savage whiffed on a tackle that led to Christian McCaffrey's 39-yard touchdown run.

Kittle finished the contest with four catches for a team-high 81 receiving yards and one touchdown.

The safeties struggled in the matchup and gave up big plays throughout the Divisional Round loss to San Francisco.

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