Running back Raheem Mostert, who went undrafted out of Purdue University in 2015, is now playing for his seventh NFL team. On Sunday, Mostert rushed for 220 yards, the second-most in any postseason game, to lead that team, the San Francisco 49ers, to their first Super Bowl since the 2012-2013 season.
The 49ers advanced to the seventh Super Bowl in franchise history with a 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game , played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The San Francisco running game simply dominated the Green Bay defense, and the game itself. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, in his first full season as an NFL starter after being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2014, threw only eight passes, completing six for just 77 yards, according to ESPN stats.
Mostert ran for all four San Francisco touchdowns, while Robbie Gould was perfect on three field goal attempts, also hitting on all four extra point tries.
“It was one of those things where we all get in the groove, we’re just going to keep it going, and that’s what we did,” Mostert said in a post-game interview.
The 49ers roared out to a 27-0 lead after two quarters, but held off a furious Green Bay comeback that saw the Packers pull within 14. The comeback was sparked when Aaron Rodgers completed a 65-yard pass to Davante Adams about four minutes into the fourth quarter, leading to a touchdown a few plays later.
Rodgers finished the game with 326 yards on 39 attempts, including a pair of touchdowns. But he also threw two interceptions, including a deep pass picked off at the four-yard-line by San Francisco’s Richard Sherman, when the Packers future Hall of Fame quarterback again tried to connect with Adams with just 1:48 remaining.
Mostert carried 29 times, 23 more than the second-most frequent 49ers rusher, Tevin Coleman, who carried just six times for 21 yards before he was carted off the field with an injury in the second quarter.
“Our guys were running so hard, our guys fought hard as heck,” said 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan after the game. “We’re just going to put it all in their hands.”
After finishing at 4-12 in 2018, the 49ers become only the third team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl following a season with four wins or fewer. Only the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals and 1999 St. Louis Rams previously accomplished the dramatic turnaround, according to KTUL .
Mostert, who carried the ball only eight times total in his first three NFL seasons, became the first player in league history to rush for 200 yards and score four touchdowns in a single postseason game, according to stats.
