2019 NFC Championship Game
A heartbreaking overtime loss that ended a decade-long Super Bowl dream.
The 2019 NFC Championship Game stands as a defining, albeit heartbreaking, chapter in San Francisco 49ers lore, marking their return to the Super Bowl stage after a decade-long drought. Played on January 19, 2020, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, this contest featured the 49ers against the Green Bay Packers in a battle for conference supremacy. The game is remembered not just for its high stakes, but for the dramatic narrative arc where the Niners overcame a significant deficit to force overtime, only to suffer a devastating loss on a missed field goal attempt.
- Result
- Loss (20-37 in Overtime)
- Opponent
- Green Bay Packers
- Location
- Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
- Key Moment
- Overtime missed field goal by Robbie Gould
Lore & Background
The game was a masterclass in emotional whiplash. After the 49ers built a comfortable cushion, the Packers' offense, led by Aaron Rodgers, shredded the defense with surgical precision, turning a 13-3 halftime lead into a 20-17 deficit late in the fourth. Just as despair began to set in, Jimmy Garoppolo found George Kittle on a critical third-down conversion that ignited a final, frantic drive. The touchdown catch by Kittle didn't just tie the game; it deflected gravity, dragging the contest into overtime and silencing the doubters for one last chance.
In Their Own Story
The Santa Clara wind cut through Levi's Stadium, carrying the chill of an impending winter night as Robbie Gould stepped onto the turf. The roar of the crowd was a suffocating blanket, pressing down on every player until the snap. The hold was perfect, the leg swung with the muscle memory of thousands of prior kicks, and for a heartbeat, the ball seemed destined for the center of the uprights. Then, the trajectory betrayed them. The sphere drifted left, slicing past the left upright by inches, leaving the stadium not just silent, but hollowed out into a vacuum of disbelief. Jimmy Garoppolo stood frozen at the line, hands on his hips, watching the Super Bowl dream evaporate into the cold California air as the scoreboard locked in a 37-20 defeat.
Reader's Guide
The 2019 NFC Championship Game was the climax of the 49ers' stunning resurrection under Kyle Shanahan. In January 2020, the top-seeded Niners hosted the second-seeded Green Bay Packers at their home fortress, Levi's Stadium. The contest is defined by its violent momentum swings: San Francisco dominated the first half with a suffocating defense and explosive runs to take a 13-3 lead, only to watch Aaron Rodgers orchestrate a surgical comeback that put Green Bay ahead 20-17 late in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by three, Garoppolo led a desperate final drive, culminating in a clutch touchdown pass to George Kittle that forced overtime. In the extra period, the 49ers marched efficiently to the Green Bay 15-yard line. Robbie Gould lined up for a 27-yard field goal that would have secured victory under the sudden-death rules of the time (prior to NFL rule changes). The kick sailed wide left. Green Bay took possession, drove downfield, and scored a touchdown to win 37-20, cementing this loss as one of the most agonizing moments in franchise history.
Did You Know?
- This marked the first time in franchise history the 49ers hosted an NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium.
- Robbie Gould had converted 100% of his field goals from inside 30 yards prior to this miss, making the failure statistically anomalous for a kicker of his caliber.
- Before Aaron Rodgers' second-half surge, the 49ers' defense held Green Bay to a single touchdown drive in regulation.
- George Kittle's fourth-quarter touchdown reception is widely regarded as one of the most critical clutch plays in 49ers playoff history.