The 49ers weren’t good Saturday night vs. the Packers, but they came up with some big plays late to seal a win. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw came up with one of those big plays to snag an interception that sealed the game on Green Bay’s final drive. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was glad his LB came up with the pick, but he had mixed emotions after the play.
What Greenlaw should have done after his diving grab was stay on the ground. There were less than 50 seconds left and the Packers had only two timeouts. The game was over if Greenlaw just stayed down.
Instead, Greenlaw sprang to his feet and started trying to return the ball for a touchdown. He broke tackles, threw stiff arms, reversed field, and gave the Packers ample opportunities to knock the ball out. If they had and recovered, they would have retained possession.
Greenlaw’s return attempt left Shanahan with some mixed feelings after the play.
“The play that Dre made there at the end to get the pick – still have mixed emotions,” Shanahan said in his postgame press conference. “I can’t believe he didn’t get down right away, but that was kinda like the whole day. All the guys I would get really upset with are also the guys I have a lot of love for at the end too because they were the ones that pulled it off to get us the W.”
It was an ugly game for the 49ers right down to the very end on Greenlaw’s return. It worked out for Greenlaw though just like it worked out for San Francisco.
Next time surely Shanahan would like his LB to stay down to take the win without any additional drama. And surely he’d like his team to put together an overall better performance where his emotions aren’t as mixed,
