WATCH: Talanoa Hufanga, Arik Armstead help 49ers defense to late score
Talanoa Hufanga and Arik Armstead might prove Saturday that defense wins games. The two 49ers stars came up with back-to-back plays at the right time in Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game against the Packers.
With Green Bay facing third down and holding onto a 10-3 lead late in the fourth quarter, Armstead came up with a big sack to get San Francisco the ball back. If that wasn’t enough, the 49ers blocked the punt the next play with Hufanga scooping it up for a touchdown.
The score tied the game at 10 with 4:41 remaining. It was the first touchdown of the evening for San Francisco, which had trailed all game. With a trip to the NFC Championship on the line, the 49ers defense took the field again.
They came up big once more, forcing a three-and-out on the ensuing drive to get the ball back with a chance to win. The 49ers ran three minutes off the clock, driving 44 yards to set kicker Robbie Gould up for a 45-yard field goal try. He nailed it, allowing San Francisco to walk off with a victory at the last second.
It was the second divisional round game to be decided on a last-second field goal. Earlier Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals beat Tennessee on a 52-yard kick from Evan McPherson.
With the victory, the 49ers clinched a trip to the NFC Championship Game next week. They will face the winner between the Rams and Buccaneers, which kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
San Francisco was recently in the NFC Championship in 2019, when it defeated none other than the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl. The 49ers went on to lose to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs the following game.
Thanks to the defense of Talanoa Hufanga and Arik Armstead, they’ll get a chance to play for a Super Bowl once again.