Recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes and the Green Bay Packers beat the 49ers 25-15 at Lambeau Field in the NFC Wild Card playoffs. Favre finished 22-of-29 for 269 yards. Ahman Green ran for 86 yards and a touchdown. Jeff Garcia threw for 233 yards and a touchdown to J.J. Stokes but added an interception. Garrison Hearst ran for 42 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers' season ended in their first playoff appearance since 1998.[1][2][3]
Columnist recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. The Green Bay Packers ended the 49ers' season 25-15 in the NFC Wild Card playoffs. The kind of January road defeat where, against the kind of cold-weather Lambeau environment that has defined the league's NFC playoff history, the 49ers' offensive identity could not produce the kind of explosive scoring drives the year's regular-season tape had been producing.
Jeff Garcia was 22-of-32 for 233 yards with a touchdown to J.J. Stokes and an interception. Garrison Hearst ran for 42 and a short touchdown. Terrell Owens caught four for 47 (held below 100 yards for only the third time all year). Tai Streets caught two for 27. Favre hit Donald Driver and Antonio Freeman for the Packers' two passing scores. Ahman Green ran for 86 and a touchdown.
12-4 ends in the Wild Card round. The kind of postseason where Steve Mariucci's fifth-year team, after the 12-4 regular season that was the franchise's best since 1998, came up against a Packers team that played the kind of January football its veteran roster had been built for. The offseason begins with the kind of expectation Mariucci's contract status, the Garcia contract talks, and the Owens 16-TD year will all elevate. Tampa Bay won at Philadelphia in the other Wild Card; the Rams await the Wild Card winner at home next week.
By the numbers
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Packers 25, 49ers 15. Margin: -10. Wild Card.
* Brett Favre: 22-of-29 for 269, 2 TDs, 1 INT.
* Ahman Green: 21 carries for 86, 1 TD.
* Donald Driver: receiving TD.
* Antonio Freeman: receiving TD.
* Jeff Garcia: 22-of-32 for 233, 1 TD (Stokes), 1 INT.
* Garrison Hearst: 13 carries for 42, 1 TD.
* J.J. Stokes: 4 catches for 52, 1 TD.
* Terrell Owens: 4 catches for 47.
* 49ers season ends 12-5; Packers advance to Divisional at St. Louis.
Film room
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
A 25-15 Wild Card road loss at Lambeau Field. The 49ers' season ends in the first playoff round since 1998. Steve Mariucci's fifth year closes 12-5.
How it unfolded
Green Bay scored on its second drive with a Brett Favre touchdown to Donald Driver to make it 7-0. Wade Richey added a 49ers field goal to make it 7-3. Favre threw a second touchdown to Antonio Freeman to push the lead to 14-3. Garcia hit J.J. Stokes on a touchdown to make it 14-9 (missed conversion). The Packers added a Ryan Longwell field goal to make it 17-9 at halftime. The third quarter was an Ahman Green rushing touchdown to push the lead to 25-9 (with the two-point conversion). The fourth quarter was a Garrison Hearst short rushing touchdown to close it 25-15. The 49ers' final possessions ended without scoring chances against the Packers' cold-weather defensive front.
The turning point
Brett Favre's second-quarter touchdown to Antonio Freeman. With the 49ers down 7-3 and the offense looking for the kind of equalizing drive Owens's regular-season production had been generating, Favre's deep ball to Freeman pushed the lead to 14-3 and gave the Packers the kind of two-score buffer the cold-weather Lambeau defense closed out.
By the numbers
Garcia 233 passing on 32 attempts with a TD and an INT. Hearst 42 rushing on 13 carries with a TD. Stokes 52 receiving on 4 catches with the TD. Owens 47 receiving on 4 catches (held below 100 for only the third time all year). Tai Streets 27 receiving on 2 catches. Favre 269 passing on 29 attempts with two TDs and an INT. Ahman Green 86 rushing with a TD. Donald Driver and Antonio Freeman the two receiving TDs.
Personnel watch
Terrell Owens held below 100 receiving yards for only the third time all year. Jeff Garcia in his first playoff start since 1998. Garrison Hearst's playoff touchdown in his return-from-injury year. The defense's struggle against the Ahman Green running game.
What it means
12-5 with the season ended in the Wild Card round. Steve Mariucci's first playoff trip since 1998 ended one game in. The offseason inherits Owens's 16 receiving TDs, Garcia's 32, and Hearst's 1,206 rushing yards as the statistical foundation. The first playoff loss since 1998.
