All season long the 49ers demonstrated that winning the turnover battle wins ballgames. The Niners committed two turnovers that proved costly as the New York Giants advanced to the Super Bowl after a 20-17 win in overtime.
It was a rainy and windy afternoon in San Francisco and both teams showed that they wanted to take a different approach on the muddy surface to beat the elements. The 49ers mostly ran on their first drive, whereas the Giants were predominantly passing.
The 49ers struck fast on their second drive. After an incomplete pass QB Alex Smith found TE Vernon Davis for a 73-yard touchdown and the first points of the game.
The New York Giants moved 35 yards downfield on their next possession but couldn’t overcome a yard on San Francisco’s 34-yard line and turned the ball over on downs.
The G-Men were more successful on their next possession. WR Victor Cruz’ reception for 36 yards got the Giants to San Francisco’s 29-yard line. Play by play the offense kept moving closer to the end zone until QB Eli Manning found TE Bear Pascoe for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the score.
With 1:36 minutes left in the first half Eli Manning got one more opportunity to move the chains. Manning connected with Victor Cruz on 4 passes for 56 yards to lead the offense to San Francisco’s 13-yard line with 5 seconds to spare. Lawrence Tynes made the 31-yard field goal attempt to give the Giants a 10-7 half-time lead.
The 49ers regained the lead in the third quarter. WR Kyle Williams returned a punt for 24 yards to San Francisco’s 46-yard line. A 24-yard pass to RB Frank Gore set up Vernon Davis’ second touchdown of the game, a 28-yard pass from Alex Smith. The Niners were back on top 14-10.
New York’s first possession of the fourth quarter ended after just three plays, or so it seemed. Steve Weatherford punted for 56 yards to San Francisco’s 29-yard line and Kyle Williams inexplicably decided to stay in the vicinity of the hopping ball. The ball touched his knee and WR Devin Thomas recovered the ball for the Giants. Six plays later Eli Manning found WR Mario Manningham for a 17-yard touchdown.
Kyle Williams, seemingly unaffected by the mistake, returned the ensuing kick-off 40 yards to San Francisco’s 45-yard line. The Niners reached the red zone after a 17-yard run from Alex Smith and an 18-yard run from RB Kendall Hunter but eventually had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from David Akers to tie the score at 17, with 5:43 minutes left to play.
The next four drives were threes-and-out, the final two minutes of the game saw three changes of possession and the game was headed for overtime.
The New York Giants were threatening to move into Niners territory on their second possession but RE Justin Smith sacked Eli Manning on 3rd and 3, which forced the Giants to punt. Steve Weatherford kicked the ball to San Francisco’s 19-yard line, where Kyle Williams was set to return the punt. Five yards later Williams fumbled another punt return and it was Devin Thomas again who recovered the loose ball.
The Giants were at the 13-yard line four running plays later and had to attempt a 31-yard field goal. Lawrence Tynes made it and sent the New York Giants to Super Bowl XLVI, where they will face the New England Patriots.
Game Tidbits
Alex Smith completed 12 of 26 passes for 196 yards, 2 touchdowns and a passer rating of 97.6.
Vernon Davis caught 3 passes for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Frank Gore (6), Vernon Davis (3), TE Delanie Walker (2), WR Michael Crabtree (1) were San Francisco’s only players to catch a pass.
LCB Carlos Rogers recorded 11 tackles.
LE Ray McDonald had 2.5 sacks for a loss of 19.5 yards.
San Francisco allowed Eli Manning to pass for 316 yards.
The 49ers surrendered 142 yards on 10 catches to Victor Cruz.
The Niners converted only 1 third down for a conversion percentage of 7.7%. On the other hand, the Giants converted 7 of 21 third downs.
San Francisco ran for 150 yards and held the Giants to 85 yards on the ground.
The 49ers outsacked the Giants 6-3.
The Niners lost the turnover battle 2-0.
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