NFC Championship: New York Giants travel to face San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 4:00pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For San Francisco 49ers, the home crowd at Candlestick Park is asked to be a player; for New York Giants, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Candlestick Park with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
New York Giants versus San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New York Giants-San Francisco 49ers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 9-7 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-7 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 13-3 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 12-4 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 7-9 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 1-15 | L14 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 12-4 | W5 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 11-5 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | L3 |
| Denver Broncos | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 14-2 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-10 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-10 | L5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 13-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 10-6 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-9 | L2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5-11 | L3 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3691515 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 36131313 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 47 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Giants | Matt Bahr 28 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal | 6-3 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 35 yard field goal | 6-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | John Taylor 61 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Mike Cofer kick) | 6-13 |
| Giants | Matt Bahr 46 yard field goal | 9-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Matt Bahr 38 yard field goal | 12-13 |
| Giants | Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal | 15-13 |
| Giants | 49ers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 20 | 13 |
| Total Yards | 311 | 240 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 15/29 | 19/27 |
| Pass yards | 176 | 215 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 17 | 14 |
| Net pass yards | 159 | 201 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 36 | 11 |
| Rush yards | 152 | 39 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 45 | 63 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 18/26 | 190 | 1 | 0 | |
| Steve Young #8 | 1/1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | |
| NYG | |||||
| Jeff Hostetler | 15/27 | 176 | 0 | 0 | |
| Matt Cavanaugh | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dave Meggett | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Roger Craig #33 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| NYG | ||||
| Ottis Anderson | 20 | 67 | 0 | 27 |
| Dave Meggett | 10 | 36 | 0 | 8 |
| Gary Reasons | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Jeff Hostetler | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Maurice Carthon | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| John Taylor #82 | 2 | 75 | 1 | 61 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 5 | 54 | 0 | 19 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 25 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 12 |
| Mike Sherrard #84 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| NYG | ||||
| Mark Ingram | 5 | 82 | 0 | 21 |
| Mark Bavaro | 5 | 54 | 0 | 13 |
| Stephen Baker | 2 | 22 | 0 | 13 |
| Dave Meggett | 2 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Ottis Anderson | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
New York Giants defeated San Francisco 49ers 15-13 at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Giants: Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New York Giants won by 2. Top line of the day: Joe Montana: 190 pass yards on 18-of-26, 1 TD, 0 INT. New York Giants advance to the Super Bowl.
New York Giants walked out of Candlestick Park as the team that survived an NFC Championship San Francisco 49ers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 15-13. The game stayed within 2 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Giants: Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New York Giants are bound for the Super Bowl.
New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13. Round: NFC Championship. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Joe Montana: 190 pass yards on 18-of-26, 1 TD, 0 INT - Ottis Anderson: 67 rush yards on 20 carries - Mark Ingram: 5 catches for 82 yards
NFC Championship, played at Candlestick Park. Final: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13, with New York Giants taking the result by 2. **First quarter**
- 49ers: Mike Cofer 47 yard field goal - Giants: Matt Bahr 28 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Giants: Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal - 49ers: Mike Cofer 35 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- 49ers: John Taylor 61 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Mike Cofer kick) - Giants: Matt Bahr 46 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Giants: Matt Bahr 38 yard field goal - Giants: Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Joe Montana: 190 pass yards on 18-of-26, 1 TD, 0 INT - Ottis Anderson: 67 rush yards on 20 carries - Mark Ingram: 5 catches for 82 yards
A 2-point margin in NFC Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.