SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers hadn’t won a playoff game since 2013. Kyle Shanahan had never won one as a head coach. Jimmy Garoppolo had never won one as a starting quarterback.
Until Saturday.
To end the drought, Shanahan, Garoppolo and the 49ers got back to the physical, punishing defense and running game that was the hallmark of their 8-0 start.
In their first home playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, the well-rested Niners dominated the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 in an NFC divisional round game.
With the win, San Francisco advanced to the NFC Championship Game set for Jan. 19 where they will meet the winner of Sunday’s divisional round game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. That game will also take place at Levi’s Stadium.
The defense, in particular, set the tone for the day, harassing quarterback Kirk Cousins consistently and shutting running back Dalvin Cook down entirely. Cook managed just 26 yards on 15 touches.
The same group that was on a historic pace for sacks and pass defense earlier in the year found its groove at the right time.
Perhaps that shouldn’t have been much of a surprise given that the Niners were coming off their first bye since Week 4 and welcomed back three key players in linebacker Kwon Alexander, end Dee Ford and safety Jaquiski Tartt. Aside from defensive tackle D.J. Jones, the Niners had all of their projected preseason starters available for the first time since Week 3.
The Vikings finished with just 147 total yards and seven first downs. They had fewer than 100 total yards until the final five minutes of the game. Before that, their only big play came in the first quarter on a 41-yard touchdown from Cousins to receiver Stefon Diggs.
With Ford back in the mix and fresh legs on the rest of the defensive line, the Niners finished with six sacks and cornerback Richard Sherman provided a third-quarter interception that led to a 2-yard touchdown run from Tevin Coleman that essentially put the game away.
Meanwhile, Garoppolo didn’t have to do much to get his first playoff win as the Niners run game clicked early and often. Shanahan dialed up 47 run plays that gained 186 yards, the second-most Minnesota yielded in a game this season. Garoppolo finished 11-of-19 for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a passer rating of 74.7 in his first playoff start.
While plenty of Niners benefited from the bye, perhaps none did so more than Coleman, who had struggled down the stretch but led the team with 105 yards on 22 carries to go with a pair of touchdowns.
Back closer to full strength and with home-field advantage next week, the 49ers await the winner of the Packers and Seahawks. San Francisco beat Green Bay 37-8 on Nov. 24 and split two meetings with Seattle, winning in Week 17 to clinch the NFC West Division and the NFC’s top seed.