San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw found Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice to celebrate in viral fashion after a game-sealing interception on Saturday night, January 20.
Greenlaw picked off Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love for a second time as the 49ers held on for a 24-21 Divisional Round victory. Immediately after the game, Greenlaw and Rice met on the field.
“Bang, bang, Niner gang,” Greenlaw exclaimed on video after he embraced Rice.
BIG PLAYS DRE 😤
A long-time 49ers star, Rice has supported the team since his playing career. He helped the Niners win three Super Bowls, including the franchise’s last one in the 1994 season.
Greenlaw and company will look to take one more step toward ending that drought in the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers will face the winner of Sunday’s Divisional Round game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.
“I still have mixed emotions,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters about Greenlaw’s last interception. “I can’t believe you don’t get down right away.”
“I love Dre. There was about three seconds where I didn’t,” Shanahan added. “I wanted to run on the field and tackle him myself… I wanted him to get down. Once he did, the love came back. He’s a [expletive] of a dude and a [expletive] of a player and fortunate to have him on our team.”
Greenlaw also did his part before the big pick, which included his first pick in the third quarter. He also had eight tackles, including one for loss.
Dre Greenlaw Impressed Christian McCaffrey
The 49ers will need to decompress from a wild one against the Packers. It took a game-winning drive led by Niners quarterback Brock Purdy to grab the lead in the final two minutes when running back Christian McCaffrey scored a 6-yard touchdown.
“He’s got an unbelievable amount of broken tackles on his picks this year,” McCaffrey told reporters. “Does a great job. I was hoping he would get down a little earlier. He did run off seven seconds. It’s amazing how many guys he makes miss.”
“Ball security is …,” McCaffrey added with a humorous pause. “I don’t know. I’m just glad he’s on my team. Hey, ball’s in your hands, go make a play. He sees what he sees.”
Dre Greenlaw, Fred Warner Banter Over Interception
As for Greenlaw, he blamed fellow linebacker Fred Warner for not getting down right away. Warner chipped in seven tackles against the Packers.
“Fred told me I was supposed to get a pick-six, so it was kind of his fault,” Greenlaw told reporters after the game.
Warner claimed he was there for the interception.
“You know what’s funny? I’m right there for the interception. I see Superman Dre Greenlaw come out of nowhere, snag ’em like, ‘yes,'” Warner said.
“I don’t even look at it. I like turn around, and I’m staring at the crowd, and then I turn around, and I see 57 just running around swimming with the football like this [arm gestures],” Warner continued. “I’m like, ‘oh, heavens’, but you know what? I went up to him afterward. I’m like, ‘why didn’t you go down?'”
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Dre Greenlaw, Jerry Rice Go Viral After 49ers’ Win Over Packers