Recap at 6:45 pm, central time
The San Francisco 49ers gave it their best shot in this matchup, but ultimately the high-powered New Orleans Saints were too much for the hard-hitting but offensively challenged Niners. The Saints gifted their opponents with the first 17 points of the game, scored on a total of five first downs after a trio of turnovers, but their comeback seemed inevitable as the Drew Brees and the Saints kept firing away…
Recap at 7:00 pm, central time
The league’s best offense and its best defense met on the field in San Francisco, but the difference-making play was made by the most unsung quarterback in the playoffs. Alex Smith’s shocking bootleg run — a designed quarterback keeper on third and seven at the Saints’ 27 yard line — gave San Francisco a 29-24 lead, just a few minutes after New Orleans had rallied from down 17 to take a 24-23 lead.
While the Saints were mounting their inevitable comeback, Jim Harbaugh’s play-calling threatened to undermine his team’s chances of pulling off the upset. His gameplan through the third quarter had Alex Smith passing twice as often as normal, and Frank Gore’s touches were still in single digits….
Recap at 7:13 pm, central time
Alex Smith’s only mistake of the day for the San Francisco 49ers? Leaving too much time on the clock for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, after his electrifying 27-yard touchdown run gave the 49ers a lead they would not look back from…
Recap at 7:19 pm, central time
Drew Brees’ biggest mistake of the day for the New Orleans Saints? Leaving too much time on the clock for Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers, as Vernon Davis …
Holy hell. I’m not even sure words can describe what just happened in this game’s finish. An unreal win for the Niners.
