The New Orleans Saints visited the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday for sold out 49ers tickets game between the number two and three seeds in the NFC. The 49ers prevailed in what can only be called an instant classic with an incredible ending.
First Quarter
The first quarter of the game was a complete shock. The veteran Saints stormed down the field on the opening drive only to see running back Pierre Thomas knocked silly and fumble at the 49ers 2 yard line. The 49ers then dominated the period holding the mighty Saints offense to three plays and out on the next drive followed up by an interception of Brees. The 49ers offense turned both into touchdowns. After finishing the quarter with a field goal, the quarter ended with a stunning 17-0 49ers lead. Those that bought San Francisco 49ers tickets for this game were more than hyped to see their team off to such a great start.
Second Quarter
Facing a blowout, the Saints showed the heart of a champion. Their much maligned defense stuffed the 49ers offense. In four drives, the 49ers punted three times and fumbled just before the half. The reprieve gave the Saints offense time to wake up and Drew Brees was able to throw two touchdown passes that closed the deficit to 17-14 at the half. The faces of fans that bought 49er tickets to this game turned upside down as it started to look like the game was there for the Saints to take.
Third Quarter
The third quarter acted as a sort of deep breath in the game as the teams geared up for the pivotal last quarter. The 49ers were able to tack on a field goal, but the defenses mostly held their own. Still, the score was 20-14 in favor of the 49ers going into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter saw the Saints quickly tack on a field goal to close their deficit to 20-17. The 49ers responded with a field goal of their own to open a six point lead. The teams then exchanged punts before the fireworks began.
The Saints finally took the lead 24-23 by going on a 9 play, 79 yard drive. They scored via a touchdown on a dump off pass to Darren Sproles who ended up weaving his way 44 yards to the end zone with 4:02 left in the game. Surely the 49ers would finally fade.
Down by one, the conservative 49ers responded with a 6 play 80 yard drive of their own. It ended with quarterback Alex Smith reliving his college days and running a sweep for a 28 yard touchdown. That made it 29-24 lead with 2:11 left in the game.
It seemed like a lot of time to leave Brees and it was. On the fourth play of the Saints next drive, Brees lobbed a 66-yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham. A two point conversion put the Saints in front 32-29 with 1:33 left.
Taking over the ball on its own 15, the conservative 49ers offense with the supposedly substandard Alex Smith at quarterback did something amazing. They went 85 yards to score the winning touchdown with three seconds left. The Saints play a blitzing, aggressive defense and it killed them on this drive as the 49ers beat the blitz repeatedly for long gains. The last was on a 14 yard touchdown from Smith to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds left. This put the 49ers up 36-32 and gave them the win.
What a game. Four lead changes in the last 4 minutes and change. An absolute classic. I wish that I had bought 49ers tickets for this game. I would have loved to see this game live!
NFC Championship Game
San Francisco is now one game from the Super Bowl. The team will host the New York Giants this coming weekend. San Francisco 49ers tickets for this event have already sold out. The Giants looked equally impressive in tearing apart the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in a game that wasn’t anywhere as close as the score suggested.
The NFC Championship game is stacking up to be a special one. Both defenses are dominant. Look for this to be a game where the teams try to establish themselves in the trenches. The 49ers have the better running game, but the Giants have the better passing game.
The 49ers are opening as 2.5 point favorites. Taking out the 3 point bump for home teams, the oddsmakers see this as essentially an even game. I agree. Neither team has an obvious advantage, so look for turnovers to play a huge role in deciding the game.
All I can say hold on tight to your 49ers tickets, It is going to be one heck of a game!
