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Niners' comeback latest in wild playoff history
By John Clayton
ESPN.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Candlestick Park has seen it all. It's seen the "Catch" by Dwight Clark. It's seen the "Catch II" by Terrell Owens during a playoff game against the Mike Holmgren-coached Packers in 1999. But on a clear, unseasonably warm Sunday, 49ers fans witnessed "The Scramble," a playoff rally unlike anything West Coast fans have seen before. Jeff Garcia did with his feet and arm something only topped by Frank Reich in Buffalo 10 years ago. Garcia turned the New York Giants into the Hateful Dead by rallying the 49ers from a 24-point third-quarter deficit to a 39-38 victory over the Giants. It was the second-greatest comeback in playoff history, behind the Bills' 32-point comeback against the Houston Oilers in the 1992 playoffs. Even the white-haired mentor of the 49ers -- Bill Walsh -- had to salute the Scramble. "We had a Super Bowl come-from-behind win, and other great wins in championships and Super Bowls, but this would rank next," Walsh said. You had to witness the intensity and emotions on the sidelines in this classic NFL playoff game. The Giants dominated the 49ers, 38-14, through most of three quarters. Giants rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey couldn't corral what would have been Kerry Collins' fifth touchdown pass in the back of the end zone on a third-and-goal from the 49ers' 3. The Giants settled for a field goal by Matt Bryant. Winds of excitement started generating from the 49ers sideline. Owens gave his teammates a pep talk. "I told them there is going to be a point in the game where we're going to be in critical situations," Owens said. "Tai Streets got upset a couple times because he got open a couple of times and Jeff didn't see him. I said, 'Look, they are going to double team me, so take your time. Jeff is going to hit the open guys.' " In the huddle, Owens acted as though he was assembling a takeout order. He asked who could make plays, and nominated himself first. Others followed suit. After that, Garcia made virtually every play with the help of a no-huddle offense. The comeback started with Garcia connecting on five of six passes for 66 yards, capped by a 26-yard touchdown to Owens. Owens caught a two-point conversion, and suddenly the scene started to turn into a Rocky Balboa frenzy against Apollo Creed. The 49ers trailed, 38-22, and the Giants started jawing. "Look at the scoreboard," Owens heard Giants defensive end Michael Strahan say. Pretty soon, the Giants couldn't believe what they saw. A three-and-out by the Giants' offense was augmented by a stupid penalty on Giants linebacker Dhani Jones, who roughed 49ers returner Vinny Sutherland after a horrible 29-yard punt. The 15-yard penalty gave the 49ers a first down at the Giants' 27. Garcia hit two short completions and then followed with a 14-yard touchdown. Another two-point conversion to Owens made it a ballgame, 38-30, with 14:55 left. "Down 24 points, it was interesting to see how this team could react," 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. "Jeff was making plays with his arm. He was making plays with his legs. We talked about it. We went into our two-minute offense. Because we had some success with it, we stayed with it. They don't substitute defensive linemen very often so part of the plan was to wear them down."
“ The Giants were zoning us in the red zone. J.J. Stokes was double-covered. T.O. was doubled. Tai Streets became the one-on-one guy. I was surprised the cornerback (Reggie Stephens) didn't react. ”
— 49ers QB Jeff Garcia, on the game-winning TD
The Giants wore down. Another offensive three-and-out by the Giants allowed Garcia a chance to drive the Niners to the Giants' 8 and settle for a 25-yard field goal to cut the margin to 38-33. Collins drove the Giants to the 49ers' 24, but a season-long problem re-emerged to haunt them. The Giants had gone through three snappers this season, and 41-year-old Trey Junkin snapped one low that Bryant couldn't convert into a 42-yard-field goal. Out came Garcia again. He drove the 49ers 68 yards in nine plays. Owens played a big role in that game-winning drive even though he didn't catch a pass. He kept reminding his teammates about being double-teamed. Streets, the third option, ran a post route against loose single-coverage and scored a 13-yard touchdown that gave the 49ers the lead with one minute left. "Jeff read it, made the perfect throw, and after that everything went blank," Streets said. "The Giants were zoning us in the red zone," Garcia said. "J.J. Stokes was double-covered. T.O. was doubled. Tai Streets became the one-on-one guy. I was surprised the cornerback (Reggie Stephens) didn't react." Chaos followed. Shaun Williams and Owens attacked each other. Owens happened to say, "Look at the scoreboard now." Each battled in the end zone and earned offsetting penalties. After the Niners' failed two-point conversion, Williams and Owens became entangled again, and the end result was Williams getting penalized and ejected after throwing a punch at San Francisco's Jeremy Newberry. "Things like that happen sometimes," Williams said. "All I was trying to do was keep our guy (Will Allen) from getting mauled." But the Giants were losing composure and the game. Tight end Dan Campbell was so frustrated at one point during San Francisco's comeback he kicked his helmet and almost hit someone. In the first half, Shockey threw a cup of ice at a fan who was throwing things at him. "Yes, I thought it was very chaotic and I don't know what happened (at the end)," Collins said. "It was hard to see but the fight and all that kind of stuff -- to me, that's complete lack of composure. That's going to help you lose ballgames. And I felt we lost ours and they lost theirs a little bit, too. It became total mayhem at the end." The final minute had its heroes and goat. 49ers cornerback Ahmed Plummer, playing with a groin injury, had been burned on 10 of 12 completions for 148 yards and three touchdowns by Amani Toomer. With 22 seconds left, Plummer appeared to have an interception. Back judge Scott Green overruled side judge Doug Rosenbaum and said Plummer let the ball slip through his hands. Mariucci and the 49ers screamed for a replay. None came from the booth. Referee Ron Winter said he was told the replay was too obvious to even call a timeout to look at it. Then Junkin tried one more snap. It was low and left. Punter Matt Allen picked up the ball, ran around and threw it, but the play was flagged for an illegal receiver downfield. "It's very frustrating," Bryant said. "I can't even begin to tell you. I've gone through five or six snappers and two holders. It's been a strange year. It's like a batter at the plate with two outs in the ninth and the runner gets thrown out trying to steal second. It takes the bat right out of your hands." Emotions spilled. Plummer kneeled for what seemed an eternity. Giants players yelled at officials. The rest of the 49ers celebrated. "I'll not going to get over this loss for a long time," Giants coach Jim Fassel said. For the Niners, who gained an identity in an otherwise nondescript season, it's onward to face the Bucs. John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

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