This week the New York Giants face the San Francisco 49ers, so we’ll harken back to January 22, 2012 to an NFC Championship game played between these 2 clubs for our Throwback Thursday feature. Playing at home at Candlestick Park and sporting a 14-4 record, the Niners were favored over the 12-7 wild card Giants. Halfway through the opening quarter, San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith found his tight end, Vernon Davis on a 73 yard scoring pass, but the Giants would do the only scoring in the second stanza, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room after a 6 yard Eli Manning TD toss to Bear Pascoe and a Lawrence Tynes field goal. Davis, who had a massive day with 3 receptions for 112 yards, hauled in a 28 yard pass from Smith to give his club a 14-10 lead after 3 quarters.
Both defenses dominated a lot of this contest, with the Giants registering 6 sacks and the 49ers sacking Manning 3 times and forcing a pair of turnovers. Manning broke the ice in the final quarter with a go-ahead 17 yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, who would have a heroic effort a couple of weeks later. David Akers tied the game with a short field goal to send it into overtime, where coach Tom Coughlin’s gritty Giants would eke out a 20-17 win on a Tynes field goal.
The upset win set up a Deja Vu championship game in Super Bowl XLVI, as the Giants upset New England 21-17, with Manningham making an incredible sideline catch that helped set up the winning touchdown, similar to the David Tyree “helmet catch” that set up the winning score in Super Bowl XLII, which saw the Giants stun the previously unbeaten Patriots.
49ers’ Alex Smith feeling the heat