The good news for the Packers is that they won’t lose for the third straight year in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The 2013 Packers won’t get to that level of the postseason, thanks to a 33-yard field goal from Phil Dawson that gave the 49ers the win as time expired. FOX’s replay showed the ball actually going through the arms of Packers cornerback Davon House, who had come around the edge in an effort to block the kick.
For San Francisco, it’s the third straight appearance in the NFL’s final eight. The 49ers will travel to Carolina next weekend, which means that three of the four conference semifinal games will entail a rematch of a regular-season game.
The Packers have now lost three times to the 49ers in less than a calendar year, thanks to an ongoing inability to shut down quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He rushed for 98 yards and threw for 227 on Sunday, including an 11-yard scamper on third and eight to move the ball into field goal range.
Still, the Packers didn’t capitalized on a major blunder by Kaepernick. On the third play of the game-winning drive, Packers cornerback Micah Hyde jumped an out route intended for Anquan Boldin. Hyde had the ball in his hands, but he was unable to secure the interception.
Dawson’s game-winning kick comes in his first year with the 49ers, after 14 years in Cleveland that included only one playoff game, a loss to the Steelers 11 years ago.