Ravens’ and 49ers’ No. 1 priority put to the test in playoffs
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) stands on the sideline after injury his elbow against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game last season.
(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
The 49ers and Packers have a rich history in the postseason, although the matchup might be new to a lot of their current players.
The 49ers have reached the playoffs 12 times since last winning the Super Bowl in the 1994 season and played Green Bay in 10 of those postseasons, most recently in 2021.
But San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy hasn’t played the Packers, and Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love hasn’t played the 49ers.
This game pits the seasoned 49ers, who made it to the NFC title game in Philadelphia last season, against the Packers, the league’s youngest team.
“Obviously, yeah, experience is huge in these situations,” Love told reporters this week. “But I think we’re just confident in our whole team and what we’ve got. And now it just comes down to execution, making the most of the plays we have, and I think that’s what we’re doing.”
Love was tremendous in the 48-32, first-round shocker over the Cowboys, throwing for 272 yards with three touchdowns with no interceptions.
“Man, Jordan Love. Wow. That’s about all I can say, is wow,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. “What he did, the poise he shows, the command he shows.”
The 49ers have come close to the mountaintop in recent years, including blowing a 10-point lead to Kansas City in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl in the 2019 season, losing the NFC Championship to the Rams in the 2021 season, and falling apart in the conference title game at Philadelphia last season when they lost Purdy to an elbow injury.
“You always remember those moments,” San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner told reporters. “It’s important during those times like last year in Philly, and you see the confetti coming down, you see them with their hats and T-shirts on the stage. They’re happy and you’re standing there watching it all happen.
“I can put myself right back there in that moment. The part that sucks is you can’t just blink and you’re right back into having an opportunity to go back and do it again.”
But here they are.
