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KRON 4 News at
Monday, January 24, 2022 SECTION B Paul Farmer . Sports Editor . 427.6926
49ers still alive with relentless mentality
CAm inmAn MERCURY NEWS
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Advancing to the NFC Championship Game, and doing so with a walk-off win in the snow at Lambeau Field, shouldn’t really surprise anyone anymore about these 49ers.
Count on them for drama. Highs. Lows. Unlikely heroes. Clutch stars. Down-to-the-absolute-wire finishes.
Elimination games? Pfft. Two wins to go for that sixth Lombardi Trophy. It’s been 27 years since they won it all, before half this roster was even born.
Before getting too far ahead of ourselves (again), a look back at Saturday night’s 13-10 divisional win over Green Bay: n Jordan Willis, despite his heroic block of a fourth-quarter punt, wasn’t among the 49ers brought into the media room for postgame interviews. He wasn’t muted, necessarily. In the locker room, after being awarded the ceremonial game ball by coach Kyle Shanahan, Willis was egged on by teammates to give a speech. He replied: “We’ve been through a lot this year, and we kept battling, so let’s keep going.” The crowd went wild. n Willis is 6-foot-4. He has an 80-inch wingspan, according to his 2017 predraft file. He used that length and blocked the punt with his left hand. But, first, he overpowered the long snapper to close in on that season-saving swat. n “I think we ain’t done yet. I think we ain’t done yet.” – linebacker Fred Warner, in breaking down the locker room’s huddle. n Still think Jimmy Garoppolo is done with the 49ers? Think again. His influence on this franchise isn’t summed up by an end-of-the-world-again interception. His ability to lead end-of-the-game scoring drives is a gift, that keeps on giving the 49ers another game. n This sums up the locker room’s feelings for Garoppolo: “Honestly I’m impressed with his demeanor as a leader. A lot of people give him crap or whatever, but he’s as cool and collected as a quarterback that I’ve ever had, and he is the perfect guy to lead us to where we need to go.” – Nick Bosa. n Nobody has quarterbacked more games for Shanahan than Garoppolo (35-15). “I don’t think people understand what that’s kinda like out there.” – Shanahan. (Trey Lance may not understand, either. He didn’t take a snap for his 13th game, nor should he have.) n The last time the 49ers blocked a postseason punt: Spencer Tillman for the 1989 team’s divisional-round win over Minnesota, en route to the franchise’s fourth Super
ANALYSIS
See 49ers, Page B8
Douglas R. Clifford/TNS
Rams safety Nick Scott (33) picks off a pass intended for Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) as Los Angeles defensive back David Long (22) looks on during the second quarter in Tampa, Fla., Sunday.
Rams pull out of tailspin, beat Brady, Buccaneers in Tampa
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
TAMPA — For a year, the Rams had been trying to emulate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They got Matthew Stafford, the way the Bucs got Tom Brady in 2020. They got hot at the end of the season, the way the Bucs did on the way to the championship. They drew motivation from the chance to play a Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, the way the Bucs took advantage of the home field last February.
Sunday, they took imitation one better. They dominated for much of the game. They found magic when it mattered most.
After losing a 24-point lead, the Rams beat the Buccaneers 30-27 on Matt Gay’s 30-yard field goal with :00 on the clock at Raymond James Stadium.
Stafford had hit Cooper Kupp for a 40-yard gain to put the Rams in range, and the quarterback spiked the ball to stop the clock because L.A. was out of timeouts.
The win sent the Rams on to the NFC championship game next Sunday at SoFi Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers.
For much of a cool afternoon, it looked as if they’d do more than move on, as if they’d beat the defending champions handily and stamp their credentials as Super Bowl LVI favorites.
But the Bucs’ rally made it good enough just to survive.
Leading the way on offense was Stafford, who won his first playoff game in 13 NFL seasons when the Rams beat the Cardinals last Monday but looked better than the GOAT. Stafford completed 28 of 38 passes for 366 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The first big play was a 70-yard pass-and-run
See Rams, Page B8
Chiefs outlast Bills in wild OT win
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thirteen seconds.
That’s all it took for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to calmly lead his team into field goal range against the Buffalo Bills in the waning moments of regulation to send the game into overtime, which kicker Harrison Butker did with a 49-yard kick.
The Chiefs won the toss and Mahomes took care of the rest in the extra period, connecting with tight end Travis Kelce for an 8-yard touchdown to secure a 42-36 win and send the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game.
Their fourth straight AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium, the first time a team will play host to a conference title game.
The Bills drew first blood Sunday night, the Chiefs responded in kind, and then the two teams traded blows in the one the wildest two-minute span of NFL action in regulation.
The two teams exchanged leads three times in the final two minutes.
Buffalo appeared to overcome the odds when quarterback Josh Allen found Gabriel Davis for a 19-yard touchdown, the fourth of the game, with 13 seconds remaining in the game and a 36-33 lead before Mahomes’ heroics.
Earlier, Mahomes and wide receiver Tyreek Hill made sure the home team would keep the hopes alive to advance in the playoffs.
Facing a three-point deficit with less than two minutes remaining in the game, Mahomes threw a short pass to Hill over the middle and the speedster did the rest, blowing through the Bills secondary for a 64-yard touchdown and short-lived 33-29 lead.
Facing a fourthand-13 play at the Chiefs’ 27-yard line at the 2-minute warning, Allen took advantage of cornerback Mike Hughes falling down near the left sideline. With Hughes, who appeared to slip coming out of a break, out of the picture, Davis was all alone in the end zone and Allen found him for a 27-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 29-26 lead.
The two of the AFC’s top teams provided everything as advertised.
Thompson late scratch but Warriors win
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
SAN FRANCISCO — Hours before tipoff Sunday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr learned that Klay Thompson wouldn't be available against the Utah Jazz.
Thompson felt a "tweak" in the left knee he had surgically repaired approximately 18 months ago, Kerr said, prompting Dr. Rick Celebrini to deliver the news that Thompson would need to be a late scratch Sunday night.
The Warriors downplayed the situation — Kerr said it was a matter of caution and "nothing too concerning" — but the severity of the setback remains unknown, coming after two consecutive days off for the shooting guard who is making his way back from tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon that caused him to miss the last two seasons.
Jordan Poole did score 20 points as a balanced Warriors team held off a late rally by the Jazz for a 94-92 victory. Stephen Curry struggled from the 3-point line but added 13. Curry's brother-in-law, Damion Lee, chipped in 12 points off the bench. for Golden State.
Thompson, who underwent surgery on the left knee in July 2019, is averaging 14.7 points in 21.4 minutes since he returned six games ago. He saw his most time yet Thursday in his last outing but didn't make any of his seven 3-point attempts in just over 23 minutes. He sat the next night with the Warriors holding him out of back-to-back games, and Golden State was off Saturday.
When Thompson arrived at Chase Center Sunday, the plan was for him to play. He has been on a minutes restriction that was scheduled to increase by a few minutes each week. But after participating in walk throughs, Celebrini informed Kerr that Thompson shouldn't play that night.
With the late scratch, the Warriors were forced to face Utahwithout Thompson, Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala.
Sharks’ lopsided loss a ‘massive wake-up call’
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
SAN JOSE — How much pushback does this Sharks team have?
More than they had Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning?
It won’t take long to find out.
The Sharks were clobbered 7-1 by the Lightning at SAP Center, sleepwalking through most of the first period en route to their most lopsided loss of the season. The Sharks gave up four goals in the first 13 minutes and only offered an occasional response, as they lost for the fourth time in the last five games.
“That team exposes you when you don’t compete. That’s it. Simple as that,” Sharks winger Andrew Cogliano said of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
“They can beat you when you compete at your highest level. But when you don’t compete, and you’re not even close to their level, it gets embarrassing real fast.”
While the Lightning looks fully capable of winning a third straight Cup, the Sharks appear to be light-years away. Several of their best players are over 30 years old, their top centerman might be traded or leave as a free agent, and their top prospects need time to mature before they’re ready to be impactful NHL players.
That’s the big picture. In the meantime, the Sharks will have no chance of beating the NHL’s best teams or remaining in the mix for a playoff spot if they’re not willing to defend hard or match their
