Wow - Niners - Saints

That might be the best football game I've ever seen. Just the match up and contrast of styles, the unlikely big plays, the determination displayed by both teams. It did come down to the 49er offense, which somehow delivered after playing terrible all game. Those final two drives were awesome. Note we didn't even need to convert any 4th down plays. The most tense was the 3rd and 7 long TD run after the 12 men in the huddle penalty. What a play call. Alex Smith making a play with his legs.

The thing I didn't expect - Vernon Davis. Good lord those were some big plays. I always thought the guy was a 1st quarter player and not clutch. He made not just the 2 big catches, but the one that put them into field goal position prior to Smith's TD run. He was quite simply, THE MAN today. I thought it was going to be Crabtree in the playoffs. Turns out it was Davis. Good for him. The guy's come a long way and he knows it too, the emotion after the TD catch. Great.

But finally, a shout out to the heart and soul of the team: the defense. Let's be clear: the Saints are a great offense. They had won something like 11 straight games and Drew Brees threw for more yards than anyone in the history of the NFL. They made huge plays. But the Niner defense was ferocious. The turnovers were inflicted. For the most part, they weren't mistakes by the Saints, they were plays by the Niners. There were a couple plays during the game when the Saints bobbled or dropped passes because they were tired of getting hit. The Niner's KO'd Pierre Thomas - which is something like the 6th or 7th running back they've injured this year. I hesitate to celebrate this - as it is an aspect of football that I find troubling - the brutal injuries inflicted on running backs. But goddamn, they Niners hit you hard. The Saints are a tough team. They aren't particularly strong, but Sean Peyton is a tough coach, but you could tell, they were not excited about getting hit today.

One last note - there are comparisons being made to the TO catch in 1998 against Green Bay. This play was better. In 98, that play was desperate and lucky. It was make that play or lose the game. There was no time on the clock, Steve Young had once again mismanaged the clock at the end of the game and they were forced into a desperate situation. This play was better. More controlled. Smith knew he had one shot at the end zone before a field goal try to send the game into overtime. He slung in a perfect pass that had no downside. If it is incomplete, they kick a FG and go to OT.