The San Francisco 49ers in last season’s NFC Championship game could not overcome turnovers that led to a New York Giants victory. Since last season, the 49ers have beaten Green Bay, Chicago and New England. With a hot start by Atlanta the Falcons fans were rabid and could really taste victory. Nothing could give the 49ers a blast of confidence like overcoming the 17-0 deficit against the Falcons in the Georgia Dome for the NFC Championship.
In the second quarter, the 49ers were really up against it and needed to get something going. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan could do no wrong for the first half connecting with Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones twice as well as tight end Tony Gonzalez for a 10 yard touchdown pass and a 35 yard field goal by Matt Bryant. Then things started to change for Falcons, starting with a 15 yard run by 49ers runninng back LaMichael James. Then, 49ers quarterback Kaepernick came alive and threw for a 4 yard TD pass to Vernon Davis. The 49ers running back Frank Gore ran for two touchdowns in the second half to cap off a victory 28-24 and winning the NFC Championship.
It been a full season since San Francisco was at this point and to overcome a 17-0 deficit, then show poise and focus against the top ranked offense on the road in the Georgia Dome is as good as it gets. This will come in handy when they face off against Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens in two weeks in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.
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