Candlestick Park was silenced after second year quarterback Collin Kaepernick dropped back on the fourth play of the game and threw an interception to Packers cornerback Sam Shields, who returned it for a touchdown.

Kaepernick quickly brushed off his lone mistake to have a career day to help lift the 49ers over the Packers 45-31.

Green Bay’s defense was non-existent and unable to contain the dual threat quarterback. Kaepernick set a quarterback rushing record, compiling 181 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns. He also completed 17 of 31 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns.

His favorite target was wideout Michael Crabtree, who caught nine passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

The Packers also had no answer for 49ers running back Frank Gore. Gore carried the ball 23 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 48 yards.

After the Packers had a 14-7 lead going into the second quarter, momentum quickly shifted when Packers punt returner Jeremy Ross muffed the catch and the 49ers recovered the fumble. The 49ers responded with a touchdown to tie the game.

On Green Bay’s ensuing drive quarterback, Aaron Rodgers over threw wideout Jordy Nelson and was intercepted. Once again the 49ers turned a Packers mistake into a touchdown to retake the lead.

The Packers went into the half down 24-21 but did not make any halftime adjustments to get back into the game and were outscored 21-10 in the second half.

Rodgers finished the game, completing 26 of 39 passes for 257 yards two touchdowns and one interception. Rodgers connected with James Jones and Greg Jennings for touchdowns.

Jones finished the game with four receptions for 87 yards along with his touchdown. Jennings led the Packers with six receptions for 54 yards along with his late score.

The 49ers are now heading back to the NFC Championship game. They will either face the No.1 seed Atlanta Falcons or the No.5 seed Seattle Seahawks. If the Seahawks pull off the upset, San Francisco will host the Championship game at Candlestick Park.

As for the Packers, they will enter the offseason with many decisions to make regarding players and staff.

Image Courtesy : Green Bay Packers

The article Kaepernick Demolishes Packers appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The New York Giants defense dominated against the 49ers, earning them a 26-3 victory in a NFC Championship rematch.

The 49ers scored first in the first quarter, and that was their only score of the day. Alex Smith struggled completing 19-of-30 passes for 200 yards and threw three interceptions. Smith threw three interceptions for the fifth time in his eight year career. Smith has thrown interceptions in both losses this season for the 49ers. Back-up quarterback Collin Kaepernick completed four of seven passes for 82 yards.

San Francisco struggled running the ball as well. Running back Frank Gore carried the ball eight times for 36 yards. The rest of the running back core complied for nine carries for 44 yards. Randy Moss had two catches for 75 yards. Ex-Giant Mario Manningham caught five passes for 72 yards.

Eli Manning played mistake-free football, completing 15-of-28 yards for 193 yards for one touchdown. Manning’s one touchdown came in the second quarter to Victor Cruz. Cruz caught six passes for 58 yards. In Hakeem Nicks’ first game back from injury, he caught three passes for 44 yards. Wideout Domenik Hixon also caught four passes for 78 yards.

The New York Giants were able to open up the run game against a tough 49ers defense. Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 27 times for 116 yards and one touchdown. Bradshaw has ran for 100+ yards for two consecutive weeks.

The Giants had Smith on his heels, sacking him four times. Jason Pierre-Paul had two sacks, Adrian Tracy and Linval Joseph both had one sack. Antrel Rolle led the Giants defense with six tackles. Rolle also had two interceptions, his first two of the season. Prince Amukamara also caught his first interception of the season.

New York is now atop the the NFC East Division with a 4-2 record with Philadelphia and Washington right behind them at 3-3. The Giants have a tough road ahead of them as they head into the heart of their schedule. The next two match-ups will be against divisional rivals the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants will be up against six teams who made the playoffs last year in their final 10 games.

For additional player or game statistics click here. 

Image Courtesy of  AJ Guel Photography

The article Giants Dominate 49ers appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The 49ers (11-3) finally returned to prominence and received a nationally televised game at home and what happened? Their stadium went nearly pitch black only minutes before kickoff of their eventual 20-3 victory over the Steelers (10-4).

“I just feel like San Francisco took a big step to show the NFL and to show the state of California that they need a new stadium,” said Steelers safety Ryan Clark. “I think it was a very strategic move, and Candlestick may be no more.” Don’t worry, Ryan. The 49ers hope to open a new stadium in Santa Clara in time for the 2014 season.

Thankfully an earthquake did not cause all the commotion. An overhead blimp actually captured video of a generator just outside Candlestick Park suddenly exploding and immediately causing the power outage. Fans had to sit through about a 20 minute delay before football would be played.

Just when the situation appeared to be resolved – it reappeared. The majority of the lights went out again during an early second quarter TV timeout. This would delay the action for about 16 more minutes. No further issues afterwards, though. Losses by the Texans and Ravens on Sunday would give Pittsburgh the #1 seed in the AFC with a win on Monday night.

That gave Ben Roethlisberger extra motivation to give it a go after being questionable all week with a high ankle sprain suffered against Cleveland. But Pittsburgh might have been better off with backup Charlie Batch. Big Ben showed a considerable limp from the outset and suffered greatly from his inability to extend plays with his legs as he so often does.

Uncharacteristic interceptions by Roethlisberger also resulted. Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson, and Tarell Brown all recorded one pick each on the night and made Roethlisberger’s 330 passing yards obsolete. Rogers’ interception at the goal line on Pittsburgh’s opening drive foreshadowed another great defensive effort by San Francisco.

The 49ers #1 scoring defense gave up only 3 points, while their top-ranked unit against the run set an NFL record by not allowing a single touchdown on the ground 14 games into the season. “I also want to recognize our defense,” said coach Jim Harbaugh. “NFL record for not allowing a rushing touchdown in 14 games. I think that is huge.”

Terrible clock management by Pittsburgh down 6-0 toward the end of the half left them with nothing after passing up a 55 yard field goal attempt. The Steelers were finally able to get on the board with about 6 minutes remaining in the third. A 50 yard field goal cut San Francisco’s lead in half at 6-3. Despite offensive struggles Pittsburgh was still right in the ball game.

That’s when the 49ers realized it was time to go for the kill. Alex Smith would lead San Francisco on a 79 yard touchdown drive in response to the Pittsburgh field goal. Smith remained poised and threw a one yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis after he was ruled out of bounds and short of the goal line on the previous play.

Smith only had 181 yards and 1 touchdown, but did not turn the ball over and cost his team. Pittsburgh went to a no-huddle offense down 13-3 with 3:44 remaining in the third. They moved the ball efficiently but missed a 48 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining. The Steelers defense gave the offense an opportunity to make it a one possession game until Justin Smith stripped Roethlisberger and recovered the fumble at the Pittsburgh 23.

Smith finished the play after rookie linebacker Aldon Smith initially hit Roethlisberger. Two and a half sacks on the night gave him the team’s rookie record with 13. There was still hope for Steelers Nation after San Francisco had to settle for a field goal, but a leaping penalty on the kick gave the 49ers a fresh set of downs.

Two plays later Frank Gore would run it in from five yards out and give his team a 20-3 lead with 9:06 remaining. The 49ers defense remained relentless and held on easily. Pittsburgh will now continue its pursuit of the AFC North crown over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, the 49ers keep making their case as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

“I think we showed the world we can play the game of football on a national stage,” said Davis. “At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about: respect.”

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/SANFRANCISCO49ERS

The article 49ers Hold Down Steelers and Banged Up Big Ben 20-3 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Baltimore Ravens (8-3) emerged victorious against the visiting San Francisco 49’ers (9-2) in a game dubbed as the ‘Harbaugh Bowl’. A huge defensive effort from the Ravens was enough to secure a 16-6 victory as they secure their position at the top of the AFC North.

Unsurprisingly, the Ravens looked keen to run the ball early on, as the home side were 6-0 on the season when running back Ray Rice has 18 or more carries in a game. This allowed the passing game to open up for Joe Flacco, and he found Anquan Boldin for a couple of good gains as Baltimore moved to within field goal range and took a three point lead in the game on the opening drive.

The 49’ers opening drive was not as successful, as the visiting team went three and out, extending the Ravens record of shutting out opposition teams on opening drives to 19 games. This was to the delight of the injured Ray Lewis, or ‘Mufasa’ as his teammates call him, who was doing a very good impression of a lion as he prowled up and down the sideline.

San Francisco kicked a field goal of their own to tie the game up, and were unlucky not to take the lead when Alex Smith found Ted Ginn for what would have been a 75-yard touchdown pass, only for the play to be called back for a penalty against the 49’er offense.

The home side then put themselves back into the lead with another field goal, but were disheartened to not have got a touchdown when they had managed to get into a first and goal situation. This extended San Francisco’s steak of not allowing a touchdown in the first half to five games, the highest in the NFL.

The first half was then brought to an end with the 49’ers moving down the field and looking to target a deep threat, only for Ravens cornerback Ladarius Webb to come up with a great interception in the end zone, and allowing Baltimore to maintain their lead into the second half.

The third quarter offered little of note apart from the 49’ers leveling the scores with their second field goal of the game. Towards the end of the quarter however, the Ravens put together a 76-yard drive which saw completed passes to seven different receivers, and culminated in an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dennis Pitta at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano will have every reason to be pleased with himself and the Baltimore defense who had been excellent all game, but seemed to find an even higher gear in the fourth quarter, recording multiple sacks and tackles for a loss.

An addition to their momentous defensive effort, they added another field goal, extending their lead to 10 points and making it a two possession game, which ultimately proved too much for the 49’ers to overcome. Baltimore managed to record nine sacks in the game, which tied the franchise record, and included a haul of three for linebacker Terrell Suggs, who continues to show that he can become the leader of this defense when Lewis does eventually retire.

The loss, although disheartening, will not damage San Francisco’s playoff hopes, and should the Green Bay Packers slip up in the playoffs, then this matchup could very well meet again in Indiana at the Super Bowl.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/baltimoreravens

The article Harbaugh Bowl a Defensive Masterpiece from Ravens appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The San Francisco 49ers (6-1) improved their record with a 20-10 victory over the visiting Cleveland Browns (3-4) at Candlestick Park. Although the Browns were tipped by many to fall short against the 49ers, Head Coach Pat Shurmur will be disappointed that his side was unable to kick on from their hard-fought win over the Seahawks a week ago, and move beyond the .500 mark.

The Browns were without both first choice running back, Peyton Hillis, and wide receiver, Mohamed Massaquoi, who currently leads the team in receiving yards. With these omissions, it looked as if they may struggle offensively, especially against the in-form defense of the 49ers.

Throw into the mix that Cleveland have only had nine plays of 20 or more yards so far in the season, by far the worst record in the league, and the Browns looked up against it from the off.

With Cleveland’s defense performing so well against the Seahawks last week, allowing just 137 yards, Defensive Coordinator Dick Jauron will have been unhappy that San Francisco managed to put together two drives, culminating in a rushing touchdown and passing touchdown for Fred Gore and Michael Crabtree respectively, without his side being able to offer anything in return.

While Gore was dominating the rushing game for the 49ers, making 134 yards on 31 carries, the Browns, bereft of Hillis, were struggling to make a similar impact, with Chris Ogbonnaya leading for Cleveland with 37 yards from 11 carries.

Despite Colt McCoy putting in a valiant effort — completing 22 of his 34 attempts for 241 yards — the 49ers defense held strong;  linebacker Navarro Bowman had an impressive performance with a game-high 11 tackles to his name.

The visitors did put themselves in with a good chance of securing a comeback in the fourth when McCoy found Josh Cribbs for a 45-yard touchdown pass with just over six minutes left in the game. This reduced San Francisco’s lead to just seven points, making it a one possession game and setting up a tense ending.

Unfortunately for the Browns, though, San Francisco worked themselves into decent field position before David Akers kicked a field goal to make it a two possession game, effectively ending any hopes Cleveland had of heading home with the victory.

The Browns remain on the road, travelling to Houston to play the Texans next week in what will be another difficult match for Shurmur’s side, and what could very well be a game that plays a big part in whether Cleveland will regard this season as a success.

The 49ers, who will also be on the road next week, playing the Washington Redskins, are looking like they could make a real impact in the playoffs this season, and are already four games clear of their nearest divisional rivals, the Seahawks.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/clevelandbrowns

The article Cleveland Browns Fall to Confident 49ers, 20-10 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.