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Unquestionably bizarre Inexplicable turn of events shatters Giants, revives 49ersPosted: Monday January 06, 2003 1:41 AM
SAN FRANCISCO -- On a blackboard at the Giants' Meadowlands team complex last week, New York head coach Jim Fassel scrawled a simple, but powerful three-word inspirational message to his team: Why not us? For a long while Sunday, it looked like Fassel inadvertently coined the unofficial slogan of this year's NFL Playoffs, reflecting the wide-open nature of this year's Super Bowl tournament. And maybe just launched another Giants Super Bowl run in the process. But as it turns out, it was one word too many. Because by late afternoon on a remarkable and ridiculous day at San Francisco's 3Com Park, Fassel was left shaking his head and likely muttering, "Why us?" After all, it was the 49ers, with their improbable 39-38 first-round victory against the shell-shocked Giants who had every right to wonder if all things are possible from here on out this season. Down 38-14 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, San Francisco's rally registered as the second biggest in playoff history, topped only by Buffalo's 32-point first-round comeback against Houston almost 10 years ago to the day. Why not, indeed, said the 49ers? Why not here? Why not now? Why not us? "Even at 38-14, I was thinking we're coming back," San Francisco linebacker Julian Peterson said. "We never stopped playing. We never quit. They [the Giants] were getting a little confident, talking a little bit. You could tell they thought they had it. But we wouldn't give up. We just wouldn't let them have it." If the most famous game in this stadium's history -- the 1981 NFC Championship Game -- forever will be known for "The Catch," that Joe Montana-to-Dwight Clark piece of magic that we all have committed to memory, then Sunday forever will be known as "The Comeback." It wasn't artistic, but it had enough high drama to last a lifetime. "This is about the worst loss I have ever felt in my entire life," said Fassel, whose Giants saw two potential game-clinching/winning Matt Bryant field-goal attempts in the final 3:01 sabotaged by bad snaps. "It got away from us [Sunday]. It's tragic. I think we let a great opportunity [slip away]. I'm not getting over this for a while." The game's final frantic moments brought vindication to 49ers cornerback Ahmed Plummer, who had been victimized all day by Giants quarterback Kerry Collins, and humiliation to New York long-snapper Trey Junkin. Signed only last week as an emergency replacement for injured snapper Dan O'Leary, who tore a thumb ligament, Junkin is a 41-year-old veteran of 20 NFL seasons. He has been with six NFL teams, last played with Arizona in 2001, and is the Giants third different snapper this season. Before New York called, Junkin already had filed his retirement papers with the NFL office. The guess is today he wishes he had followed through on that decision. "I forgot rule No. 1," said Junkin, who bounced both snaps back to holder Matt Allen, the Giants' punter. "Always remember that you never make a perfect snap; just make the snap. I just didn't do a good enough job." Junkin's first mistake gave Bryant little chance of making a 42-yard field goal with 3:01 remaining, which would have given New York a 41-33 lead, producing no worse than overtime. Bryant pulled the kick badly left. Then, in a scene that will be replayed in San Francisco sporting lore, Junkin's snap with six seconds remaining and the Giants trailing 39-38 skidded back to Allen, who wound up picking the ball up and not even giving Bryant a chance at the game-winning 41-yard effort. Allen's pass downfield, in the direction of Giants guard Rich Seubert, fell incomplete, and Seubert was flagged for being illegally downfield. "It's tough to take, because we had one little job to do and we didn't get it done," said Bryant, the former pawnbroker turned Giants kicker. "Probably what's most frustrating of all is that I didn't get the chance. It's like a hitter 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. That's what it felt like for me today." Making the Giants' pain a little worse was the realization that Allen could have thrown the ball away, before time expired, giving New York another chance to kick the game-winning field goal on fourth down. "It's been a problem since we started," Fassel said of his team's season-long kicking troubles. Juxtaposed against Junkin and Bryant's agony was Plummer, the third-year San Francisco cornerback who was wonderfully saved from a cruel fate by the 49ers historic comeback. When the game's bizarre final play was at last over, Plummer sunk to one knee at the San Francisco 30-yard line, his head bowed in deep reflection. It was a prayer of thanksgiving. For survival. For redemption. "At that point I just had to release everything that was in me," Plummer said. "My emotions, as you can imagine, were pretty high. I got on one knee and I thanked the Lord for a second chance." Plummer needed a second chance after Collins and Giants receiver Amani Toomer got done with him. On the day, the Giants threw in Plummer's direction at least 12 times. New York completed 10 of those passes, for 148 yards, and three touchdowns. All three were scored by Toomer in the first half, when New York built a 28-14 lead. Toomer finished with eight catches for 136 yards, with touchdowns of 12, 8 and 24 yards. Plummer made his only two successful plays on the ball in the game's final minute, as the Giants (10-7) were driving for the potential game-winning field goal. "I struggled," Plummer said. "But our offense did a tremendous job and really stepped up. Those guys didn't want to lose. That's motivation right there, because when you get a second chance, you don't want to blow that. I've been through a lot of different types of games, but not one like this. This is the playoffs. This is for everything. The game meant the season. "But I can't say enough about this offense. I wouldn't want any other offense. With those guys, you're never out of a game. They know how to execute when it's time to execute. It's a blessing to play with them." Nobody on the 49ers offense stepped forward, making San Francisco's 25-point rally in the game's final 19-plus minutes possible, quite like quarterback Jeff Garcia and receiver Terrell Owens, the team's two Pro Bowl stars. Garcia completed 27 of 44 for 331 yards, with three touchdowns, and also led the 49ers in rushing with seven carries for 60 yards and a 14-yard scoring scramble. Owens was equally huge, catching nine passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, including the 26-yard third-quarter score that started the 49ers on their way back. Owens also completed a pass for 25 yards, setting up another San Francisco score. The 49ers spent most of the fourth quarter in their two-minute, no-huddle offense. More than anyone, Garcia and Owens are the reasons the 49ers (11-6) are headed for next week's game at Tampa Bay in the divisional round, and have a postseason win to celebrate for the first time since 1998. They're also the reasons why no one is going to be writing this week about the job security of 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci. As much as anyone in these up-for-grabs playoffs, the 49ers can keep right on asking "Why not us?" -- and mean it. On this day, in a game that left both teams close to speechless, the Giants had no answer. "You have to just keep fighting," Plummer said. "I was fighting. We all were fighting. Because you just never know what's going to happen. [Sunday] it happened for us."
Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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