This past weekend we were treated to one of the more thrilling Divisional Playoff games in recent years between the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers which had everything one could ask for including big plays, hard hits, costly turnovers and late-game heroics. What began as a one-sided error fest for the Saints, would soon turn into a teeter toter affair that came down to the final seconds of regulation and will forever be embedded in the minds of football enthusiasts and 49er fans alike. Prior to kick-off, the 49ers were ruled underdogs despite being the home team as New Orleans stormed into town riding one of the hottest streaks in all of football, winners of their last eight. Having been rather quiet virtually all year long on the offensive side of things, the 49ers would explode onto the scoreboard thanks to an Alex Smith performance that was seven years in the making.
Entering the game, Saints quarterback and potential MVP candidate Drew Brees hadn't thrown an interception during the postseason in five years and had only two picks throughout his entire postseason career (eight games). The daunting 49ers defense would add to their NFL-best 38 takeaways during the regular season by forcing Brees to throw two interceptions in the first half of Saturday's game alone before later adding three fumbles to eventually win the turnover battle, 5-0. The costly miscues would spell doom for the Saints who came into the hostile environment of San Francisco's Candlestick Park still seeking the franchise's first playoff win on the road (0-4). The Saints appeared to be on their way to their first ever road victory when Brees who finished the game with 462 passing yards and 4 touchdown passes overcame an early 17-point deficit and connected with tight-end Jimmy Graham for a 66-yard touchdown reception followed by a successful 2-point conversion to give New Orleans a 32-29 lead with 1:37 remaining on the clock.
After putting San Francisco up, 29-24, with a 28-yard touchdown run on third down with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, former number one overall pick Alex Smith would be called upon one last time to lead the 49ers to a victory and send them to their first NFC Championship since 1995. Having been M.I.A from the playoffs for nearly a decade, the 49er faithful made their presence felt as a sellout crowd of 69,732 screaming fans witnessed the 49ers become the first team in NFL history to score two lead-changing touchdowns in the final three minutes to win a playoff game as Alex Smith channeled his inner Joe Montana by finding Vernon Davis in the endzone to win the game. The 14-yard connection from Smith to Davis was reminiscent of possibly the NFL's most famous play, "The Catch" from Montana to Dwight Clark and even more so to "The Catch Part II" from Steve Young to Terrell Owens as both Owens and Davis were seen in tears following their game-winning grabs, coining Davis' catch as the third installment of "The Catch." Coincidentally this year marks the 30th anniversary of the famed play from Montana to Clark which won the NFC title game back in 1981.
Alex Smith threw for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24-for-42 passing, 7 of which to Vernon Davis who finished the game with 2 touchdowns and 180 receiving yards, setting a record for the most receiving yards in a playoff game by a tight-end. Just a season removed from being pelted with boo's from the home crowd, Alex Smith has now led his team to the NFC Championship and is one win away from returning the 49ers to their sixth Super Bowl, first since the 1994 season when the proud franchise captured their 5th title. Standing in the way of San Francisco making their first Super Bowl appearance since the Steve Young era is a New York Giants squad that is also on a tear. Fresh off their defeat of the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, Eli Manning and the New York Giants will try to avenge their Week 10 loss to the 49ers by putting an end to the Super Bowl hopes.
Preview & Prediction: Unfortunately for them, the game will be played in the same stadium they lost at during Week 10 of the regular season by a score of 27-20. 4-0 all-time in NFC Championship games, the Giants will pay a visit to San Francisco's Candlestick Park where they've lost 11 of their last 14 games (including playoffs) since 1980. Meanwhile, the 49ers boast an all-time record of 4-3 vs New York in the playoffs, including 4-1 at home. And as if the storyline wasn't already an intriguing one, meteorologists are calling for rain which could very well play a factor in Sunday's outcome. Considering the 49ers were able to overcome the hottest quarterback in the entire league entering last week's match-up, I like San Francisco's chances of doing the same against arguably the league's second hottest quarterback in Eli Manning. New York's dominant pass rush could be quite an obstacle, however, but that won't stop me from picking the Niners to come out on top, 27-23, punching their ticket to a long awaited sixth Super Bowl. GO NINERS!
Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest
No comments:
Post a Comment