Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ season-ending loss to 49ers

An opportunity to get back to the NFC Championship Game for the third straight season disappeared into the falling snow at Lambeau Field when Robbie Gould’s 45-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired, giving the visiting San Francisco 49ers a shocking 13-10 win over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ stunning season-ending defeat to the 49ers:

The Good

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary (52)

Gary shows the world he’s an elite player: The Packers’ third-year outside linebacker capped off an elite season with a dominant individual performance. He produced two sacks on third down, a third quarterback hit, a tackle for loss on fourth down and six total pressures. 49ers right tackle Tom Compton couldn’t block him for much of the game, but especially on obvious passing downs. Gary finished the season with 11.5 sacks in 17 games. He could be one of the NFL’s best defensive players for years to come.

The Bad

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12)

Passing game comes up small: The Packers allowed five sacks, averaged 5.8 yards per passing play and generated only two plays over 20 yards. Aaron Rodgers completed passes to only four receivers, and players not named Aaron Jones or Davante Adams combined to catch two passes for six yards. The passing game, which came alive over the final two months of the season, fell apart at the worst time. Twice in the fourth quarter, the Packers offense had a chance to finish off the game with a scoring drive, and they went three-and-out both times. On the first, Rodgers took a third-down sack. On the second, Rodgers completed missed Allen Lazard and threw up a prayer to Adams on third down. The performance on offense was even more disappointing considering how well the defense played throughout the contest.

Lambeau Field mystique: No one fears coming to Green Bay to play in the cold or the snow. In fact, the 49ers embraced it, and one could argue the elements did more to hurt the Packers than help. This was a stunning defeat because the Packers got exactly what they wanted: a home playoff game in frigid temps and the snow. The Packers are 7-9 in the playoffs since winning Super Bowl XLV, including four losses at home.

The Ugly

Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Predictable end from special teams: A season of disasters on special teams culminated in a season-ending calamity. Four big mistakes, including a blocked field goal and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, doomed the Packers. Aaron Rodgers and the offense struggled, but the special teams were directly responsible for a 10-point swing in a game that finished 13-10. The Packers played with fire all season on special teams and never made a meaningful change, and the team got burnt in the worst possible way in a do-or-die playoff game. It’s hard to believe, but massive blocking mistakes from Tyler Lancaster and Steve Wirtel probably cost the Packers a chance to advance. Matt LaFleur, while a terrific coach, deserves heavy criticism for promoting the assistant (Maurice Drayton) after firing his boss (Shawn Mennenga) this past offseason. Drayton’s special teams played at an unacceptable level all year.

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