Dave Martin/Associated Press
49ers players celebrated after their win over Falcons on Sunday.
ATLANTA — If Tom Coughlin's excessively ruddy complexion in cold weather makes him the king of crimson cheeks among N.F.L. coaches, then San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh is undoubtedly the sultan of sideline sourpusses.
Harbaugh fumes and flails. He sighs and suffers. He bolts his feet to the ground as if he were wearing concrete shoes, then twists his upper body in unimaginable ways. The entire routine makes for an entertaining if somewhat painful sideshow to watch.
In Sunday's 28-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the N.F.C. championship game, Harbaugh displayed every bit of his substantial repertory. He frowned, several times, when the 49ers fell behind by 17 points early. He combined a hangdog head shake with a sort of disappointed-teacher expression when kicker David Akers bounced a field-goal attempt off the left upright. And he grimaced, then threw a temper tantrum that would have made a toddler proud, when the officials ruled that Atlanta receiver Harry Douglas had, in fact, maintained control of a disputed catch late in the fourth quarter.
After all of that, however — and after a last-second Atlanta pass came up short — Harbaugh allowed himself something close to a novelty: a smile.
It was well deserved. One year after falling a game short of the Super Bowl with a brutal loss to Coughlin and the Giants, Harbaugh and the 49ers did not stumble again with the most meaningful prize in sight. They will play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy this time after rallying to beat the Falcons, and will face the Baltimore Ravens, coached by Harbaugh's brother, John, in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.
"It's been a long time," said running back Frank Gore, who has played his entire career with the 49ers since being drafted in 2005. Gore shook his head, then exhaled loudly. "We came a long, long way."
As the 49ers players poured onto the field after the game's final play, two distinct crowds formed: one around the neophyte quarterback Colin Kaepernick and another around the veteran defensive end Justin Smith.
The centerpieces were fitting. Kaepernick, in the ninth start of his career, was sensational in rallying the 49ers from an early deficit, and Smith, playing with a badly injured arm, led a unit that did not allow any points in the second half. With the 49ers leading by 4 points with about two minutes to play, the defense staged its final stand as the Falcons tried to score the winning touchdown from the 10. Twice Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan dropped back to pass, and twice the ball fell incomplete as the 49ers' sideline erupted.
"Tears started to fall, but I zipped them right up," tight end Vernon Davis said of his reaction. "I said, 'I'll save the tears for the Super Bowl.' "
San Francisco's stout defensive performance would have been meaningless if not for their wiry quarterback. Kaepernick, who was given the starting job by Harbaugh in Week 11 of this season, continued his rapid ascent to stardom, completing 16 of 21 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception, did not lose a fumble and made audible calls with aplomb, even as the crowd noise in the Georgia Dome reached the level of a jet engine.
He showed the poise of a veteran and yet Kaepernick — at 25, with only three N.F.L. completions before this season on his résumé — is by any measure still young. No matter, the 49ers say; they will take their chances with him, especially after he pulled off the biggest comeback in N.F.C. title game history, according to Stats L.L.C.
Asked if the victory validates his decision to start Kaepernick ahead of the veteran Alex Smith, Harbaugh hesitated. "It validates our team," he said.
Harbaugh, too, was quick to say that it was not only Kaepernick who ignited the 49ers offense. Davis caught five passes for 106 yards, and Gore rushed for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 9-yard surge to give San Francisco its first lead of the game with a little more than eight minutes to play. In contrast to last week, when Atlanta lost a big lead but recovered in time to beat Seattle, quarterback Matt Ryan could not summon the requisite last-minute dramatics.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
49ers 28, Falcons 24: With Second-Half Rally, 49ers Top Falcons to Advance to Super Bowl
Dengan url
https://dunialuasekali.blogspot.com/2013/01/49ers-28-falcons-24-with-second-half.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
49ers 28, Falcons 24: With Second-Half Rally, 49ers Top Falcons to Advance to Super Bowl
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
49ers 28, Falcons 24: With Second-Half Rally, 49ers Top Falcons to Advance to Super Bowl
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar