SAN FRANCISCO -- Colin Kaepernick ran for a quarterback playoff record 181 yards and two touchdowns and threw two scoring passes to Michael Crabtree in leading the San Francisco 49ers back to the NFC championship game with a 45-31 victory against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
Playoff first-timer Kaepernick outshined reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who never got in sync for the Packers (12-6) in finishing 26 of 39 for 257 yards with two touchdowns.
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| Colin Kaepernick rushes for 181 yards, a single-game postseason record for a QB, in the Niners' win. (US Presswire) SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Colin Kaepernick did the passing and running, and Aaron Rodgers just couldn’t keep up. Kaepernick outplayed the reigning NFL MVP and former Super Bowl champion in one sensational, record-setting playoff debut and led San Francisco right back to the NFC championship game with a 45-31 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFC divisional game Saturday night. Kaepernick rushed for a quarterback playoff record 181 yards and two touchdowns and threw two scoring passes to Michael Crabtree. Next up for the Niners: a game on Jan. 20 for a spot in the Super Bowl, against the winner of Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and Falcons at Atlanta. “It feels good. We’re one step closer to where we want to be,” Kaepernick said. “I feel like I had a lot to prove. A lot of people doubted my ability to lead this team.” And what a playoff debut it was by the second-year pro making just his eighth NFL start. No doubting Jim Harbaugh’s big midseason gamble switching quarterbacks now. Rodgers never got in sync for the Packers (12-6), finishing 26 of 39 for 257 yards with two touchdowns. Kaepernick ran for scores of 20 and 56 yards on the way to topping the rushing mark of 119 yards set by Michael Vick in 2005 against St. Louis. Crabtree caught TD passes of 12 and 20 yards in the second quarter and wound up with nine receptions and 119 yards for the Niners (12-4-1) in the NFC divisional matchup. San Francisco had 579 total yards with 323 on the ground, scoring its third-most points in the franchise’s storied playoff history. |
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