National Football League

San Francisco 49ers fans happy to be playoff road warriors

Updated Jan. 17, 2022 5:32 p.m. ET

By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist

I spoke to a San Francisco 49ers fan, whom we’ll refer to as Jimmy C., on Sunday night, and no, that’s not his real name.

We can’t use his true moniker because he spent the end of the weekend not just celebrating but also planning and plotting and eventually landing on a scheme that will involve telling a sneaky lie or two to his boss. And his colleagues. And his wife.

Jimmy C. is going to follow Jimmy G and the Niners all the way to Green Bay this weekend for the team’s divisional-round clash with the Packers. The problem is his vacation time is already allocated, and he’s supposed to be working Saturday morning, which, in theory, would make a trip for the highly anticipated matchup impossible (8:15 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX).

"So I’m going to call in sick," Jimmy said. "We’re nearly at the end of a big project. It’s not really fair on everyone else. But I’ve got no other choice."

As for his wife, she knows about the trip; "she just doesn’t know how much it’s going to cost yet."

Jimmy C. spent hours online late Sunday putting his plan into action once the schedule was announced, and he is most certainly not alone in his commitment to the 49ers' cause. Over the past two weeks, the San Francisco fan base has spread its wings in a way that has gained significant notice.

On the final day of the regular season, with the team needing a victory to secure its postseason spot, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was a veritable sea of red as the other Jimmy (Garoppolo) sparked a late comeback against the Rams.

This past weekend, the Dallas Cowboys’ plans for a whiteout were interrupted by a 49ers contingent that made up an estimated 30% of AT&T Stadium's cavernous expanse.

"49ers fans are all over the country now," Ann Killion wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. "A hot national narrative is that everyone is abandoning the overpriced Bay Area; if true, that means more 49ers fans all over the country, including Texas, where they might use their savings on housing for pricey football tickets."

Yet many of the recent followers have made the trip from 49ers home territory, and for those who do, it’s not cheap. Especially when Wisconsin is the destination.

For Jimmy C., the final tally is guaranteed to be painful: More than $500 for a direct flight to Chicago to avoid numerous connections and awkward departure times. A projected $150 for a shared car ride from the Windy City to Green Bay with another traveling fan and at least as much for the return trip. Another $200 or so for two nights in a passable hotel. And more than $300 for a game ticket at frosty Lambeau Field, procured from an online reseller.

It feels worth it for a couple of reasons. One is that the 49ers, to their own fans at least, are beginning to feel like a team of destiny. It’s not hard to see why.

The season could and would have ended if Garoppolo hadn’t driven 88 yards in 61 seconds in Week 18. And the way the wild-card clash with the Cowboys shook out, with time running out on Dak Prescott’s potentially game-winning drive, has reinforced the notion.

San Francisco is a 5.5-point underdog against the Packers with FOX Bet and is priced at +190 on the money line. There will be no shortage of confidence, however. The 49ers thought they had Green Bay beaten in September, only for Aaron Rodgers to embark on an incredible, 37-second drive into field-goal range to secure victory.

Garoppolo recently insisted that the 49ers’ nail-biting habits have instilled a fresh sense of belief into the squad, which went winless from Sept. 19 to Oct. 31 before closing the campaign strongly.

"I think whenever you have a battle at the end like that, it shows a real team," Garoppolo told reporters. "You look guys in the eyes, and you see who’s in that moment — and ready for it. It’s just going to do us well down the road."

As a No. 6 seed, it’s the road all the way for the 49ers. That won’t faze them, not with how the fan base has responded and not after what has happened so far.

"It’s so cool to go to opposing stadiums and see half of it red," head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

"Feels like a home game," linebacker Fred Warner added.

Jimmy C., in a feat of admirable devotion and optimism, has already priced out some options for the NFC Championship Game. If the Niners can pull the upset this weekend, another journey would follow to Tampa Bay, Los Angeles again or Arizona.

Wherever and whenever the next game is, an army clad in red will come along for the ride — whatever the distance, no matter the price or however many small acts of subterfuge are needed to make it happen.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.