Only one player reached the end zone in the first half of the NFC championship game, and it wasn’t George Kittle for the San Francisco 49ers, or Davante Adams or Aaron Jones for the Green Bay Packers.
No, the half belonged to Raheem Mostert.
The 49ers running back broke free for 160 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the first 30 minutes of the conference championship game, putting San Francisco ahead of Green Bay 27-0.
Mostert’s longest run was a 36-yard scamper that opened scoring. He added scores of 9 and 18 yards, and thanks to his dominance, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo only had to throw six passes in the half.
MOSTERT. 36 YARDS. GONE.
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Most casual observers who aren’t 49ers fans or avid fantasy football owners likely haven’t heard of the runner, who took over lead back duties for San Francisco during the season. Mostert split carries more evenly with Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman in the first half of the season.
As an undrafted free agent out of Purdue, Mostert bounced around six different NFL teams between 2015 and 2016 before sticking with the 49ers, originally on their practice squad. His first breakout game came in 2018 — against the Packers, ironically enough, when he ran for 87 yards on 12 touches in a “Monday Night Football” contest. Mostert also competed in track and field at Purdue, winning the gold medal in the 60 meters and 200 meters at the 2014 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships.”
The 49ers gave him a three-year contract extension last March, and 2019 was when he really came out of his shell. He recorded his first and only 100-yard rushing game in Week 13’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, finishing with 146.
That means that Mostert’s first half in the NFC championship game was more prolific than his previous best game as a pro. It’s also the second time Mostert scored multiple touchdowns in a single game; he just achieved that feat for the first time in Week 17 of this season against the Seattle Seahawks.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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