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Ron Rivera took the Carolina Panthers from also-ran to division champion this season, earning him the Coach of the Year award.

The San Francisco 49ers' long road trip to a Super Bowl return will now take them to Seattle after beating the Panthers 23-10 in Carolina.

The fifth-seeded 49ers will head to the noisiest stadium in the world to play in their third straight NFC Championship game after already logging thousands of playoff miles while earning victories in Carolina and Green Bay. San Francisco split two games with their division rivals this season, winning at Candlestick Park but losing in Seattle.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A few observations from the 49ers’ 23-20 win over Green Bay on Sunday evening:

The San Francisco 49eers are moving on. The 49ers survived severe cold and vintage Aaron Rodgers to win this game in the final seconds. San Francisco kicker Phil Dawson hit an 33-yard goal with as time expired to go to give the 49ers the win. They will play at Carolina next week. The 49ers are now 13-4 and have won seven straight games and 12 of their past 14 games.