49ers advance to Super Bowl LIV with dominant NFC Championship win over Packers

The San Francisco 49ers are heading to Super Bowl LIV in Miami to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

This, following the Niners' 37-20 run-heavy and one-sided victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game, which saw a red-hot start from head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad, propelling the team out to a 27-0 first-half lead achieved almost entirely by the rushing game.

Specifically, running back Raheem Mostert.

Mostert had 160 first-half rush yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first player in NFL history to reach this mark in one half of a postseason game. And for those recalling how Shanahan let the 49ers ground attack take over in the team's divisional-round win over the Minnesota Vikings, the effort in the NFC Championship was only a bigger exclamation point.

All Mostert did was finish with 220 rush yards, four touchdowns and averaged 7.6 yards per carry in the process. Only the Hall of Famer, Eric Dickerson, ever had more in a postseason game. And Mostert runs like this were becoming routine:

The heavy rushing attack did come with cost, though, as fellow running back Tevin Coleman exited with a shoulder injury and didn't return. But when San Francisco used 288 of its 355 all-purpose yards on the ground, essentially daring Green Bay to stop the approach, it's hard to question Shanahan's methodology.

Green Bay finally broke the shutout on its opening possession of the second half, culminating in a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to running back Aaron Jones. But that was offset shortly thereafter by Mostert's fourth touchdown of the night, making the score 34-7 with just under five minutes in the third quarter.

In total, the 49ers held Rodgers to a 31-of-39 mark for 326 yards, two touchdowns and two uncharacteristic interceptions, the first picked off by second-year Niners cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.

Rodgers also fumbled a snap earlier, too, giving San Francisco the edge in the turnover differential.

Meanwhile, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's line was a complete reflection of the Niners' domination on the ground, as he passed just eight times, completing six of them for 77 yards. He didn't need to do anything more.

The Packers made things a little more interesting early in the fourth quarter, putting together a 10-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Jones. But with the failed two-point attempt, the 49ers still held a comfortable 34-13 lead. Green Bay attempted to kickstart the comeback with an onside kick after the fourth-quarter score, yet linebacker Mark Nzeocha managed to recover it for San Francisco to set up great field position.

The 49ers wouldn't score on the drive, but they did chew up clock.

Rodgers and the Packers staged another late comeback try, though, as backup tight end Jace Sternberger hauled in an 8-yard touchdown to bring the score to 34-20 in favor of the Niners. In response, Shanahan dialed up a 10-play drive lasting nearly five minutes, ending with a 42-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould to make it a three-possession game again.

Green Bay attempted to answer back with under two minutes left in the game. But after using all its timeouts earlier, it was clear the proverbial writing was on the wall. And when fellow cornerback Richard Sherman picked off Rodgers towards the end of the game, that was all but it.

Get ready for Miami, Niners fans.