49ers saints best game ever

Obviously playoff games carry far more importance than regular season games do, but a few games that were played in Weeks stood out from the rest, and I felt those games belonged as well. So before San Francisco bids adieu to one of its most recognizable landmarks, we will review what I have deemed the 10 greatest games in Candlestick Park history. The season looked promising for the 49ers on the heels of an finish from the previous year. A dejecting blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 changed that attitude quickly, and when San Francisco returned home the following week for a Monday Night Football showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints , many wondered if the 49ers were going to suffer a similar fate.

Center David Baas nearly snapped a ball over Alex Smith's head, resulting in a safety. Reggie Bush badly faked-out Patrick Willis on a 6-yard touchdown pass. Before the capacity crowd at Candlestick Park could get comfortable, the hometown 49ers trailed Alex Smith led two plus yard drives and gave the 49ers a lead heading into the half. Drew Brees then went to work, and, following some terrific goal-line defense by San Francisco, Garrett Hartley chipped in a yard field goal to put the Saints ahead with remaining in the game.

Smith would answer, guiding San Francisco on an eight-play, yard drive, capped off by a seven-yard Frank Gore touchdown run with left. Smith then found Vernon Davis for the game-tying two-point conversion. The Candlestick crowd held its collective breath as it was up to the 49ers defense to play for overtime. But Brees had other ideas, lofting a picture perfect yard pass to wide receiver Marques Colston to get the ball into field-goal range. According to pro-football-reference.

But, rookie quarterback Peyton Manning and prolific wide receiver Marvin Harrison had other plans. Indianapolis jumped all over San Francisco in the first half, and led the heavily favored Niners A yard Marshall Faulk run on the Colts' first offensive play from scrimmage and two Manning-to-Harrison touchdown passes give Indy the big early advantage.

Young connected with J. After a third touchdown pass from Manning to Harrison and a Mike Vanderjagt field goal, the 49ers found themselves in a hole heading into the fourth quarter. The Hall of Fame quarterback used his legendary scrambling ability to score twice in the final period, including a yard run which brought the 49ers within two points of the Colts.

In the game, Young broke the record for consecutive yard passing games in a single season which has since been broken by Drew Brees , finishing with yards for the day. What was supposed to be Jerry Rice's going-away party turned out to be Terrell Owens' coronation ceremony as one the most dominant receivers in the NFL. Owens set an NFL record that afternoon—which was broken by Brandon Marshall nine seasons later—with 20 receptions, good for yards and one touchdown, as the 49ers completely dominated the Chicago Bears from start to finish.

The 49ers defense suffocated Bears quarterback Cade McNown and held Chicago to total yards and eight first downs. Rice would travel across the Bay to Oakland and play four mostly productive seasons with the rival Oakland Raiders before retiring in The result of the game was never in doubt, but seeing Rice play his last game in a 49ers uniform and having T. The team was no different. San Francisco finished the season third in total points, fourth in total yards and second in rushing yards.

It would be the defense, a unit that ranked among the worst in the league the year prior, that would be the difference against the Philadelphia Eagles during this late-season battle. With the Niners holding a meager lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb hit running back Duce Staley for 46 yards on 3rd-and-5 from the Philadelphia yard line.

A McNabb to James Thrash pass brought the ball to the 49ers' doorstep at the 1-yard line. On the next play, Staley was stuffed for a one-yard loss.

McNabb's next pass to Thrash was completed, but only for a yard, setting up a 4th-and-goal situation at the 1-yard line. McNabb rolled out but was forced out of bounds short of the end zone by linebacker Derek Smith, but safety Lance Shulters was called for holding, giving the Eagles a new set of downs and a new life.

Finally, on third down, McNabb's pass was intercepted by Smith, and the Eagles were turned away. Nearly six minutes later, Jeff Garcia found Terrell Owens for a yard touchdown pass with left in the game. Nobody blinked We got in there and kept stopping them. We've gone through some growing pains, but our defense has come along fantastically.

I have a soft spot in my heart for great defensive plays, and that seven-play series was nothing short of amazing. The 49ers were jostling for playoff position at the time, so this was an important win in one of the last great seasons before the franchise faded into mediocrity. New York Jets vs. San Francisco: Week 1, Sept. The San Francisco 49ers went through somewhat of an identity change the previous season in Known for the longest time as a pass-first offense, the Niners instead began placing a great emphasis on their running game.

Running back Garrison Hearst helped San Francisco's offense stay afloat early in the season following a near season-ending knee injury to Jerry Rice in a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Steve Young gets his favorite target Rice back, and the Niners open the season against the New York Jets, who were starting something called a Glenn Foley at quarterback.

The Jets proved to be a game opponent that day. Foley passed for over yards and went toe-to-toe with Young and the explosive 49ers. Kicker John Hall forced overtime with a yard field goal which set the stage for one of the greatest runs in 49er history. After a Jets punt pinned the 49ers back at their own 4-yard line, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg dialed up "90 Power O"—an inside running play for Hearst.

Hearst took the ball, shook a tackler, delivered a devastating stiff arm and was off to the races. Terrell Owens paved the way for Hearst down the San Francisco sideline and outraced Hearst to block defenders out of his path. With a last gasp of energy, Hearst absorbed an arm chop from behind by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis and fell into the end zone, giving the 49ers the win. To date, it stands as the longest run from scrimmage in franchise history and is tied for the fifth-longest run in NFL history.

Arguably, this is the greatest regular-season game the 49ers have ever been involved with, and certainly the best season-opening game ever. Dallas vs. Dallas had gotten the best of San Francisco in the previous two NFC title games, but on this winter day in Northern California, it would be the 49ers who would stand tall. San Francisco sprinted to a lead in the first quarter on three Dallas turnovers.

The Cowboys would draw to within 10 points, until Young willed his way into the end zone on a three-yard run, putting the 49ers ahead Two weeks later, Young put together one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history. I chose to include this game because of the importance of Young finally beating the Cowboys and eventually winning a Super Bowl.

There wasn't much drama in this contest because of how lopsided the first quarter was, but I still ranked it among the best playoff games played at Candlestick due to Young finally getting over the hump. New York Giants vs. Mike Cofer and Matt Bahr each nailed two kicks in the first half as the two teams were tied at intermission, Joe Montana found John Taylor for a yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Bahr and the Giants answered with two more field goals and cut into the San Francisco lead, It still remains to be seen what the future holds for Garoppolo, but one thing is certain, the quarterback hopes this ride the 49ers are on doesn't stop anytime soon. While a home playoff game would have been ideal, the sixth-seeded 49ers look to continue the success they've had on the road this season into Dallas. Dallas Cowboys. New Orleans Saints. Philadelphia Eagles, Week 3. Green Bay Packers.

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