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overs and a leaky pass defense that allowed Giants quarterbackEli Manning to throw for 330 yards and three TDs, leading to theelmination of the No. 1-seeded home team in front of a capacitycrowd at Lambeau Field.The two sides traded field goals on their opening possessions,but Manning found wide receiver Hakeem Nicks for a66-yard touchdown later in the first quarter to put New York ontop 10-3. It wasn’t the last time Nicks would haunt the Packers.The second of the receiver’s first-half touchdowns was a farmore crushing blow, one that came on the final play of the secondquarter when he hauled in a 37-yard Hail Mary throw fromManning amidst multiple Green Bay defenders in the end zone,giving the Giants a 20-10 halftime lead.The turnover epidemic that had begun to befall the Packers’offense late in the second quarter continued when quarterbackAaron Rodgers was stripped in the pocket on the opening drive ofthe second half, his first lost fumble of the season. The Green Baydefense stood tall in the third frame however, keeping the Giantsoff the board and allowing a Mason Crosby field goal to pull thePackers to within a touchdown at 20-13 to start the fourth.But for a team that set a franchise record with just 14giveaways in the regular season, it was the turnovers that werethe ultimate difference in the game. Running back Ryan Grantfumbled following a reception with the Packers driving nearmidfield, trailing just 23-13 midway through the final quarter.The Giants would score a touchdown on the very next play,and then again four minutes later, while also recovering anonside kick attempt, thus silencing any chance of a late GreenBay comeback.N.Y. Giants . . . . . . 10 10 0 17 — 37Packers . . . . . . . . . . 3 7 3 7 — 20NY — FG Tynes 31GB — FG Crosby 47NY — Nicks 66 pass from Manning (Tynes kick)GB — Kuhn 8 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)NY — FG Tynes 23NY — Nicks 37 pass from Manning (Tynes kick)GB — FG Crosby 35NY — FG Tynes 35NY — Manningham 4 pass from Manning (Tynes kick)GB — Driver 16 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)NY — Jacobs 14 run (Tynes kick)PACKERS 24, MINNESOTA 102012 Wild Card PlayoffJan. 5, 2013, at Lambeau Field, Green BayHaving split their two-game divisionalseries during the regular season, the borderrivals squared off in a Wild Card game justsix days after they’d met in a Week 17 finaleat Minnesota.It was in that game that a last-second fieldgoal gave the Vikings the victory, earningthem a playoff berth as the NFC’s No. 6seed and a trip to Lambeau Field to face the NFC North championPackers in the opening round of the single-elimination tournament.Members of a unit that had surrendered a total of 409 yards toAll-Pro running back Adrian Peterson in the teams’ two Decembermeetings, Packers defenders vowed during the practice week thatthe explosive ball-carrier would not torment them again.And they held true to that promise.Aided by an inactive list that featured Vikings’ starting quarterbackChristian Ponder (who was sidelined by an elbow injury), thedefense kept Peterson in check throughout the game, limiting himto just 99 yards on 22 carries (4.5 avg.), his second-lowest rushingtotal since Week 7 of the regular season.Offensively for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers led a balancedattack that scored 24 unanswered points after the Vikings openedthe game with a field goal on their opening drive.Fullback John Kuhn scored both rushing and receiving touchdownsto cap drives going into and coming out of halftime, extendingthe Green Bay lead to 24-3 with 9:25 remaining in the thirdquarter and making an already uphill climb for the beleagueredMinnesota offense even steeper.Backup quarterback Joe Webb hadn’t attempted a pass duringthe regular season and was repeatedly pressured by the Packers’attacking front. Linebacker Clay Matthews led the way with twosacks, also forcing and recovering a fumble by Webb late in thethird quarter.483Matthews’ fumble recovery was part of a three-turnover effortby the Packers, one that also featured an interception by cornerbackSam Shields and the recovery of a muffed punt by linebacker DezmanMoses on special teams.Webb connected with wide receiver Michael Jenkins for a touchdownwith 3:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, but finished thegame 11 of 30 passing for 180 yards.Unfortunately for the Vikings, that wasn’t enough to dethrone thedivision champions on their home field.Minnesota . . . . . . . . 3 0 0 7 — 10Packers . . . . . . . . . . 7 10 7 0 — 24Min — FG Walsh 33GB — Harris 9 run (Crosby kick)GB — FG Crosby 23GB — Kuhn 3 run (Crosby kick)GB — Kuhn 9 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)Min — Jenkins 50 pass from Webb (Crosby kick)SAN FRANCISCO 45, GREEN BAY 312012 Divisional PlayoffJan. 12, 2013, at Candlestick Park, San FranciscoCornerback Sam Shields raced down thesideline for a 52-yard interception return for atouchdown on the game’s opening drive, andit appeared the Packers might be recapturingtheir Divisional playoff magic. It was just twoyears earlier, in the 2010 postseason, thatthe Packers marched into Atlanta against thehigher seeded Falcons and dismantled them ontheir home field, furthering their momentum en route to the Super Bowl.But this wasn’t 2010, and these were not the Atlanta Falcons.San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick lifted himself off theturf after missing a tackle on Shields, took a deep breath, and wenton to deliver a statistically dominating dual-threat performance.The second-year passer recovered from his early turnover torepeatedly gash the Packers’ defense with both his arm and legsduring the game. He was particularly deadly carrying the ball, bothon scrambles to escape pressure and on read-option plays the 49ersdesigned to take advantage of his speed and athletic ability.By game’s end, Kaepernick had carried 16 times for 181 yards(11.3 avg.), an NFL record for a quarterback in both the regular andpostseasons. Following the early INT, he sharpened his precisionthrowing the ball and finished the game having completed 17 of 31attempts for 263 yards and two TDs. Several of his throws went inthe direction of wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who finished withnine catches for 119 yards (13.2 avg.) and a pair of second-quarterTDs that capitalized on Green Bay turnovers to help San Franciscorecover from the initial deficit.Despite the miscues, the Packers hung tough throughout thefirst half, answering the 49ers’ offense with two 80-yard touchdowndrives of their own. They pulled to within three points entering halftime,and a 31-yard field goal by kicker Mason Crosby tied the gameat 24-24 with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter.But it was at that point that the San Francisco offense went intooverdrive. On the third play of the ensuing possession, Kaepernickfaked a handoff to the inside and bolted off of the right edge, goinguntouched down the sideline for a 56-yard score.The 49ers regained possession just two minutes later andtraveled 93 yards for another touchdown, this time cashing in on a2-yard run by Frank Gore on the opening play of the fourth quarter toextend the lead to 38-24.All told, the 49ers’ offense amassed 579 yards and the Packerswere unable to ultimately overcome costly turnovers in the divisionalround for the second consecutive year, leading to an early postseasonexit for a team that appeared to be getting healthy and peakingat just the right time.Packers . . . . . . . . . 14 7 3 7 — 31San Francisco . . . . 7 17 7 14 — 45GB — Shields 52 interception return (Crosby kick)SF — Kaepernick 20 run (Akers kick)GB — Harris 18 run (Crosby kick)SF — Crabtree 12 pass from Kaepernick (Akers kick)SF — Crabtree 20 pass from Kaepernick (Akers kick)GB — J.Jones 20 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)SF — FG Akers 26GB — FG Crosby 31SF — Kaepernick 56 run (Akers kick)SF — Gore 2 run (Akers kick)SF — Dixon 2 run (Akers kick)GB — G.Jennings 3 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)COMMUNITYPACKERS NFL TITLE GAMES & PLAYOFFSADMIN. &COACHESDRAFT &VETERANS FREE AGENTS 2012 REVIEWPLAYOFFHISTORYLAMBEAUFIELD MISC.