The Green Bay Packers fell just one game short of reaching the Super Bowl last season and the defense's performance in the NFC Championship Game was a huge reason why. Mike Pettine, the defensive coordinator of the Packers, remains frustrated about the NFC Championship.
He described the loss to Ryan Wood of Packers News:
“I can’t use any other phrase other than beyond disappointing. It’s tough to realize that we played our worst game at the worst time. But at the same point, we own it. We’re not running away from it. I mean, we went through it in detail with the staff. We talked to the players about it. There’s no excuses being offered. We just weren’t good enough in every aspect, whether it was scheme, effort, energy, technique.
During the regular season, the Packers didn't particularly have a formidable run defense, allowing 120.1 yards per game (23rd in the NFL). However, in the NFC Championship versus the San Francisco 49ers, Pettine's defense stood no chance in slowing down Kyle Shanahan's rushing attack.
Altogether, the 49ers rolled through Green Bay's defense, rushing for a total of 285 yards. Raheem Mostert particularly caused issues for the Packers, scampering for 220 yards and four touchdowns by himself. As a result of San Francisco's success on the ground, Jimmy Garoppolo attempted only eight passes.
Even though Green Bay's offense didn't play up to its own standards, the game could have gone drastically different had the defense done their part in slowing down San Francisco's running game. Nevertheless, the way the NFC Championship played out will forever be engrained in Pettine's mind.
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