The San Francisco 49ers released their final injury report for the NFC Championship game against the New York Giants. As it has become customary for the past six weeks, all players on the report are listed as questionable.

WR Ted Ginn Jr. did not practice all week because of a knee injury and appears unlikely to play. WR Kyle Williams will start alongside WR Michael Crabtree. He will also be responsible for the punt returns. RB Kendall Hunter will return the kick-offs.

C Jonathan Goodwin (calf) did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday, and was a limited participant in practice on Friday, but his start is not in jeopardy. In the unlikely event of him missing the game or a few snaps RG Anthony Snyder would move to center and G Chilo Rachal would play at right guard.

CB Tarell Brown (thigh) and RILB Patrick Willis (knee) did not practice on Thursday but returned on a limited basis on Friday. Both are expected to play and to start. CB Chris Culliver and LB Larry Grant would be the next men up if Brown or Willis were to miss some action.

FS Dashon Goldson did not practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury but was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday. He is expected to start but S Madieu Williams could see more playing time if the injury becomes more serious.

TE Delanie Walker returned to practice after missing two games with a jaw injury. He was a limited participant in practice but was cleared for contact. Walker will resume his role as the number-two tight end if the doctors give the green light. Blocking tight end Justin Peele will continue to replace him if Walker can’t play.

The New York Giants listed TE Jake Ballard as questionable. Ballard is suffering from a knee injury and did not practice on Friday. TE Travis Beckum and TE Bear Pascoe would see an increased playing time if Ballard couldn’t play. C David Baas (illness), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), LE Justin Tuck (shoulder), RE Osi Umenyiora (ankle, knee), CB Corey Webster (hamstring), WR Hakeem Nicks (ankle) and QB Eli Manning (illness) are all listed as probable and expected to play.

San Francisco’s return to the postseason could not have been more dramatic and exciting, as they defeated the New Orleans Saints 36-32 to advance to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1997.

On New Orleans’ first drive of the game it seemed business as usual for the Saints. The offense marched 78 yards downfield, helped by a 23-yard pass interference call on SS Donte Whitner, and had a 3^rd and 6 at San Francisco’s 7-yard line. QB Drew Brees passed to RB Pierre Thomas, when Donte Whitner administered a hard hit to cause a fumble, which was recovered by RILB Patrick Willis. The Niners could not capitalize on this turnover and had to punt eventually.

San Francisco was more successful on their next drive. Starting at their own 46-yard line, it took the Niners two plays and a 49-yard pass to TE Vernon Davis to score the first touchdown of the game.

FS Dashon Goldson intercepted Drew Brees on New Orleans’ following drive and carried the ball to their 4-yard line. After two incompletions QB Alex Smith found WR Michael Crabtree for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

S Madieu Williams tackled WR Courtney Roby on the ensuing kick-off and LB Blake Costanzo recovered the fumble at New Orleans’ 13-yard line. The Saints’ red zone defense made a successful stand and the 49ers had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from David Akers at the start of the second quarter.

New Orleans needed to respond and they needed to do it fast. The Saints were in 49ers territory after a 20-yard catch from WR Marques Colston. 6 plays later Drew Brees found TE Jimmy Graham for a 14-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 10.

The Saints got the ball back after a 49ers three-and-out and scored again. Starting at their own 39-yard line, it took Drew Brees 7 plays to find Marques Colston for a 25-yard touchdown and a score of 17-14.

The Saints couldn’t make it three scores in a row. Instead, CB Tarell Brown intercepted Drew Brees for the MVP-candidate’s second pick of the game.

The final two minutes of the first half saw three changes of possession but no more scores. Alex Smith lost a fumble after a sack from LB Martez Wilson but it didn’t leave the Saints with enough time to score before half time.

Although the Niners had to punt on the opening possession of the second half they basically kept the drive alive. Punter Andy Lee kicked the ball 57 yards and Blake Costanzo forced a fumble, with S Colin Jones recovering the loose ball at New Orleans’ 27-yard line. The Niners could only gain 3 yards and had to settle for a 41-yard field goal from David Akers to extend the lead to 20-14.

It was the only score in the third quarter but the final quarter of the game may have produced one of the greatest shows on grass ever.

The Saints started their drive at their own 34-yard line but it came to a halt at San Francisco’s 29-yard line. John Kasey made the field goal from 48 yards to cut the lead to 20-17.

The 49ers got the ball back after an exchange of threes-and out. The Niners were at New Orleans’ 22-yard line after a magnificent 42-yard run from RB Frank Gore. San Francisco entered the red zone on the next play but this was as far as they got. David Akers' 37-yard field goal made it 23-17 for the Niners.

The New Orleans Saints earned their first lead of the game on the next drive, when Drew Brees connected on a touchdown pass of 44 yards with RB Darren Sproles.

The Niners had a little over 4 minutes left to strike back. Vernon Davis caught a pass for 37 yards to New Orleans’ 30-yard line. San Francisco gained two more yards before Alex Smith took matters in his own hand and rushed for a 28-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed but the 49ers were back on top 29-24.

Drew Brees had 2:07 minutes left, but only needed 30 seconds to find Jimmy Graham for a 66-yard touchdown. The Saints successfully went for two points and took a 32-29 lead.

There were 1:32 minutes on the clock when San Francisco’s offense re-entered the field. Vernon Davis made another big play for 47 yards to get the Niners into field goal position. Moments later San Francisco had a 3^rd and 4 on New Orleans’ 14-yard line. Do you remember “The Catch” between Joe Montana and Dwight Clark from 30 years ago? If you watched yesterday’s game you witnessed “The Grab”. With 14 seconds to go Alex Smith found Vernon Davis who caught the pass on the edge of the end zone and fell backwards for the game-winning touchdown. The 49ers secured a 36-32 win over the favored New Orleans Saints.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 24 of 42 passes for 299 yards, 3 touchdowns and a passer rating of 103.2.

Vernon Davis caught 7 passes for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 180 yards are an NFL record for a tight end in a single postseason game.

San Francisco converted only 27% of third downs.

The 49ers were outsacked 4-3.

The Niners allowed Drew Brees to pass for 462 yards.

San Francisco allowed Marques Colston (136), Darren Sproles 116) and Jimmy Graham (103) 100+ receiving yards.

The 49ers held the Saints to 37 yards on the ground.

The Niners won the turnover battle 5-1.

San Francisco became the first team in NFL history to score two lead-changing touchdowns in the final three minutes of the 4^th quarter in a postseason game.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 34-27 to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. San Francisco’s next opponent will be determined between the Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants.

It was clear from the start that TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree would have to carry the main load in San Francisco’s passing offense. QB Alex Smith connected over and over again with both on the opening drive to get the offense into field goal range. The record-breaking David Akers attempted a field goal from 48 yards but missed.

The St. Louis Rams saw a chance to score the first points in this game. They were in San Francisco’s half after a 24-yard reception from former Niner WR Brandon Lloyd and proceeded to the red zone after 20 yards on 3 carries from RB Steven Jackson. San Francisco’s focus seemed a little off after having surrendered a rushing touchdown last week and QB Kellen Clemens took advantage of it by running 18 yards into the end zone.

Alex Smith showed that he could do just as well as time wound down in the first quarter. The Rams had to punt out of their own end zone and S Reggie Smith returned it 10 yards to St. Louis’ 33-yard line. RB Frank Gore couldn’t rush into the end zone, so Alex Smith tried it from 8 yards and was successful to tie the score at 7.

The 49ers were in control now and continued to add more points to the scoreboard. CB Tarell Brown intercepted Kellen Clemens on St. Louis’ next possession and Michael Crabtree caught a pass for a 28-yard touchdown.

On San Francisco’s next drive David Akers could make up for a missed field goal at the beginning of the game. Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis on a 44-yard pass to move the offense into the red zone. The distance was too much to overcome after LB Chris Chamberlain sacked Alex Smith for a loss of 7 yards and David Akers connected from 36 yard to give the Niners a 17-7 lead.

David Akers added another three points to the score when he hit a field goal from 42 yards after San Francisco’s final drive of the first half stalled at St. Louis’ 24-yard line. The 49ers took a commanding 20-7 lead into the break.

Josh Brown cut the deficit to 10, when he made a field goal from 49 yards, but the Niners responded with a trick play. San Francisco moved into the red zone after a 15-yard face mask penalty against S Quintin Mikell and a catch for 34 yards from Vernon Davis. The Niners couldn’t convert another first down. Michael Crabtree was running towards the sidelines as David Akers prepared for a 31-yard field goal attempt. No defender followed Crabtree and Akers passed to him for a 14-yard touchdown and a 27-10 lead.

Josh Brown again cut the deficit, this time to 14, when he scored from 48 yards.

The Niners had to punt on their next possession but Andy Lee’s ball sailed 64 yards through the air to St. Louis’ 1-yard line. Kellen Clemens made the mistake of throwing an interception and Tarell Brown returned the ball 5 yards to St. Louis’ 13-yard line. RB Kendall Hunter set up RB Anthony Dixon’s 1-yard rushing touchdown with 3 carries for 12 yards and the Niners were up by a score of 34-13.

With 6:30 minutes remaining the 49ers seemed to relax a little and allowed the Rams to get back into the game. St. Louis entered 49ers territory thanks to an unnecessary roughness call on CB Chris Culliver and moments later Kellen Clemens found Brandon Lloyd for a 36-yard touchdown.

The Rams attempted an onside kick and LB Bryan Kehl recovered the ball for St. Louis. Tarell Brown was called for pass interference on the next play, which gave the Rams a first down on San Francisco’s 1-yard line. RB Carnell Williams ran into the end zone and San Francisco’s lead was down to 34-27.

The Rams received the ball one more time but turned it over on downs and the 49ers were able to run out the clock.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 21 of 31 passes for 219 yards, 1 touchdown and a passer rating of 98.7. His passer rating of 90.7 on the season and 3,150 passing yards are a personal best.

Michael Crabtree caught 9 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Vernon Davis caught 8 passes for 118 yards.

Tarell Brown had the first multi-interception game of his career.

The 49ers surrendered 100 receiving yards to Brandon Lloyd.

San Francisco converted 38% of their third downs and their only attempt on fourth down.

Both teams recorded 3 sacks.

The Niners outpossessed the Rams 35:08 minutes to 24:52 minutes.

FB Bruce Miller left the game with a knee injury, though it doesn’t appear to be too serious.

The San Francisco 49ers entered the final quarter of the regular season with a 21-19 loss at the Arizona Cardinals, jeopardizing a first-round bye in the playoffs.

San Francisco’s defense didn’t allow a first down in the first quarter and forced Arizona’s offense to a three-and-out on all three possessions. The pass protection did not perform quite as well in the beginning.

The 49ers had a great field position on Arizona’s 43-yard line to start their second drive. 11 plays later they had gained just 15 yards. Three sacks prevented the Niners from moving closer to the end zone but a 15-yard penalty against the Cardinals kept San Francisco in field goal range. David Akers opened the score with a field goal from 46 yards.

WR Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt for 52 yards to Arizona’s 4-yard line on the last play of the first quarter but San Francisco’s woes in the red zone continued. The Niners could not reach the end zone and had to settle for an easy field goal from 22 yards.

QB John Skelton, who replaced the injured QB Kevin Kolb after Arizona’s first drive, turned the ball over on the Cardinals’ next possession, when OLB Aldon Smith tackled him and forced a fumble. LE Ray McDonald recovered the ball at San Francisco’s 43-yard line.

Seven plays later, David Akers was asked to give San Francisco a 9-0 lead but the field goal attempt from 50 yards was no good.

The 49ers were in control up to this point but it sometimes takes just one play to change the momentum of a game. John Skelton threw a pass to WR Early Doucet for a 60-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a 7-6 lead.

San Francisco regained the lead on their next possession but the red zone once again proved to be a dead end for the Niners. QB Alex Smith started the drive on San Francisco’s own 22-yard line and drove the offense down the field to Arizona’s 6-yard line. One incomplete pass and a rush for –3 yards later the 49ers had to settle for another field goal instead of a touchdown. David Akers connected from 27-yards for a 9-7 lead.

Arizona had 1:58 minutes left in the first half to get a second score but FS Dashon Goldson intercepted a pass intended for WR Larry Fitzgerald, which gave the Niners the ball back at Arizona’s 16-yard line, with 1:10 minutes remaining.

San Francisco’s third appearance in the red zone ended with, you guessed it, yet another field goal attempt. David Akers made it from 22 yard to give San Francisco a 12-7 lead at half time.

Things seemed to change in the second half. If you cannot score a touchdown in the red zone then you have to score one from outside. Ted Ginn Jr.’s punt return for 11 yards gave the Niners a first down on Arizona’s 37-yard line. Alex Smith handed the ball to RB Frank Gore who ran into the endzone.

Sadly, this was San Francisco’s only noteworthy drive of the second half. Each of their following drives ended after just three plays. Arizona on the other hand seemed to have made the right adjustments during the break and was far from being beaten.

John Skelton finally showed that he can be a challenger for the permanent starting job and figured that the Niners cannot be beaten on the ground. He found Larry Fitzgerald for a 46-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to five points.

The 49ers were able to stop the Cardinals on their last drive of the third quarter, when CB Tarell Brown intercepted a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald, but they couldn’t stop them on Arizona’s first drive of the fourth quarter.

Larry Fitzgerald caught a pass for 53 yards and brought the Cardinals within 20 yards of the end zone. After Skelton realized that you cannot run the ball into San Francisco’s end zone he tried a different approach. After a 9-yard pass to Early Doucet he found WR Andre Roberts for a 3-yard touchdown to seal a 21-19 victory over the 49ers.

Every team has a bad day and it is safe to say that this was by far San Francisco’s worst performance of the season. RILB Patrick Willis was inactive, LT Joe Staley and FS Dashon Goldson left the game with injuries and CB Carlos Rogers and CB Tarell Brown were banged up but this should not serve as an excuse. Red zone offense and passing defense have to be addressed, with the playoffs just around the corner, or San Francisco’s return to the postseason will be a short one.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 18 of 37 passes for 175 yards and a passer rating of 62.3.

Frank Gore surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time.

Dashon Goldson caught his career-best 5^th interception.

Rookie Aldon Smith recorded his team-leading 11^th sack of the season.

Ted Ginn Jr. averaged 23 yards per punt return.

San Francisco converted only 18% of third downs.

The 49ers held Beanie Wells to 27 yards on the ground.

Larry Fitzgerald caught 7 passes for 149 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Niners were outsacked 5-2.

The 49ers released their final injury report for the second game against the Arizona Cardinals this season. There are only four players on it but each of them is listed as questionable.

RILB Patrick Willis suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s game against the St. Louis Rams and did not practice this week. It is very likely that he will miss the game on Sunday and Larry Grant will get another opportunity to show that he is more than just a special teams player.

CB Carlos Rogers didn’t practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury but was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday. He is not expected to miss the game but his injury is a huge blow to the secondary, which has to face WR Larry Fitzgerald.

CB Tarell Brown is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. It’s unlikely that he will miss the game but he and Chris Culliver could take turns covering WR Early Doucet. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Chris Culliver even got the start.

WR Braylon Edwards’ status is still unchanged but unlike last week he is expected to suit up for the game. With a banged-up secondary the Niners will likely activate CB Shawntae Spencer, which would place WR Brett Swain among the inactives again. Braylon Edwards may not start but he could see limited action.

The Arizona Cardinals listed S Kerry Rhodes (foot), TE Todd Heap (hamstring) and LB Joey Porter (knee) as questionable. Rhodes will likely miss his eighth consecutive game this season. Todd Heap is expected to be sidelined and has been a non-factor even when he was active this season. Joey Porter could return to action for the first time in seven weeks, though he lost his starting job to Sam Acho. RB Beanie Wells (knee, hamstring) and P Dave Zastudil (biceps) are listed as probable and ready to go.

The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens 16-6 in the first edition of the Harbowl. The loss puts an end to San Francisco’s 8-game winning streak and was their first road loss this season. The game turned out to be the defensive battle everyone expected. Baltimore’s defense in particular was literally breathing down QB Alex Smith’s neck the entire game and sacked him nine times.

Baltimore started the game with a scoring drive. QB Joe Flacco moved the offense 50 yards downfield but San Francisco’s suffocating red zone defense wouldn’t surrender any ground. The Ravens had to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Billy Cundriff.

After an exchange of threes-and-out the 49ers tied the game. Starting at their own 36-yard line San Francisco drove to Baltimore’s 22-yard line thanks to efficient rushing plays from RB Frank Gore and a 20-yard pass to TE Vernon Davis. On 3^rd and 4 at Baltimore’s 22-yard line Alex Smith was sacked for a loss of 5 yards and David Akers made the field goal attempt from 45 yards.

The Ravens regained the lead in the second quarter. CB Tarell Brown was called for pass interference, gaining Baltimore 50 yards and a first down at San Francisco’s 15-yard line. The defense once again prevented Baltimore from reaching the end zone but Billy Cundiff hit a 23-yard field for a half time score of 3-6.

The 49ers tried to have one more scoring drive before half time but Alex Smith threw an interception to CB Lardarius Webb on 4^th and 3 with 23 seconds left in the half.

Both teams had only one possession in the third quarter. The 49ers moved from their own 25-yard line to Baltimore’s 25-yard line when Alex Smith was sacked for a loss of 10 yards. David Akers had to attempt a 52-yard field goal and made it. San Francisco had the ball for 7:25 minutes on this drive.

Baltimore showed that they could do even better than this. Joe Flacco moved the offense to San Francisco’s 8-yard line. Again it looked like San Francisco’s goal line stand would be successful but Flacco found TE Dennis Pitta for a touchdown on 3^rd and goal to give the Ravens a 13-6 lead. Baltimore controlled the clock for 7:34 minutes on this drive.

The Ravens made it a two-possession game when Billy Cundiff hit another field goal from 39 yards with 3:14 minutes left.

On their next possession the 49ers turned the ball over on downs and the Ravens held on to a 16-6 win.       

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 15 of 24 passes for 140 yards, threw 1 interception and had a passer rating of 61.1.

Frank Gore was held to 39 yards rushing, leaving him 22 yards short of Joe Perry’s franchise record for most rushing yards.

San Francisco converted only 2 of 12 third downs.

The 49ers were outsacked 9-0 for a loss of 44 yards.

Including the 50-yard pass interference call the Niners committed 7 penalties for 97 yards.