NFL highlights on Jan. 20: McCaffrey carries 49ers to NFC title game

The San Francisco 49ers edged the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in the National Football League (NFL) National Football Conference (NFC) Divisional Game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Saturday, advancing to the NFC Championship Game.

In the eye-catching contest between two young quarterbacks (QBs), Brock Purdy of the 49ers and Jordan Love of the Packers, "Mr. Irrelevant" was the winner, but he didn't necessarily perform better than Love.

Purdy completed 23 of his 39 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown with no interception. However, the opponents' aggressive pass-rushing plus the continuously worsening rain undermined his passing. Three of their six drives in the second half ended with punts.

Running back Christian McCaffrey made the biggest offensive contribution for the 49ers in the second half by rushing for two touchdowns. The first one happened in their second drive in the third quarter as a 39-yard long dash. The second one put the team back on lead with 1:07 left in the fourth period.

Compared with Purdy, Love threw the ball with more boldness. He completed 21 of his 34 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Both touchdowns happened in the second half in two straight drives. The first one was scored by wide receiver Bo Melton who connected with Love from 19 yards in a nine-play drive for 75 yards. The second one took the Packers only four plays because cornerback Keisean Nixon returned 73 yards for the team to launch attack at 20 yards on the 49ers' side.

Of course, Love's daring passing choices came at a cost of being intercepted more easily. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw first intercepted his pass for tight end Tucker Kraft on a 3rd & 11 in the third quarter to end keep the Packers from extending their lead. Then in the team's final drive, Love's deep pass for wide receiver Christian Watson was intercepted by Greenlaw again. That play sealed the deal for the 49ers.

Love's two interceptions aside, kicker Anders Carlson's missed field goal from 41 yards in the fourth quarter was also one of the main reasons behind the Packers' loss on Saturday. They were leading 21-17 before that play. If he had made that shot, he would have extended their lead to seven points, which wouldn't be easy to beat.

In the American Football Conference (AFC) Divisional Game earlier on the day. The Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 31-10 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland to qualify for the AFC title game.

The Ravens' QB Lamar Jackson passed 16-of-22 for 152 yards and two touchdowns with no interception. He also rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns with 11 carries. His teammates of the defensive group limited rookie QB C.H. Stroud to completing 19 of his 33 passes for no more than 175 yards and no touchdown. The only touchdown the Texans scored was by wide receiver Steven Sims who returned 67 yards to do it.