Garoppolo: 49ers' running game 'made my life very easy'

The San Francisco 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LIV despite a quiet day from their starting quarterback.

The Niners dominated the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in the NFC Championship Game on the strength of their run game and a stout defense. On offense, they ran the ball 42 times against just eight pass attempts from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

"You've got to talk to (head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) or something, man," Garoppolo said with a laugh when asked about his limited pass attempts.

"We were running the hell out of the ball tonight. It made my life very easy back there. I think I only had like eight pass attempts, so, it was a fun night."

It was the second straight playoff game in which Garoppolo took a backseat to the ground game. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 131 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in San Francisco's divisional-round win against the Minnesota Vikings, following it up with just 77 passing yards against the Packers.

The 49ers passer had an injury scare near the end of the first quarter when he took a hit to the left knee from Kenny Clark. Garoppolo wears a brace on that knee after he tore his left ACL during the 2018 season, and it likely protected him from a possible injury.

"Scary moment but the brace held up again. Knock on wood," he said.

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