San Francisco 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons Box Score on Jan 20, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 20, 2013

49ers 28, Falcons 24: Frank Gore rushed for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Colin Kaepernick passed for 233 yards and one score as visiting San Francisco overcame a 17-point deficit to stun Atlanta and punch its ticket to the Super Bowl.

LaMichael James rushed for a touchdown and Vernon Davis caught the lone scoring pass for the 49ers (13-4-1), who will be making their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 1994 season. The 49ers will face the Baltimore Ravens, who captured the AFC championship with a 28-13 win over the New England Patriots.

Matt Ryan passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the first half but was held to 125 yards and an interception in the second half as the Falcons failed to score. Julio Jones made 11 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead Atlanta’s receiving corps.

Gore capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the second half to pull San Francisco within 24-21. After squandering a pair of opportunities to tie or take the lead, the 49ers finally pulled ahead when Kaepernick hit Michael Crabtree with an 8-yard pass to put them inside the 10-yard line and Gore broke through the right side for a 9-yard touchdown run on the next play for a 28-24 lead with 8:23 to play.

The Falcons (14-4) dominated the first quarter and came out on fire offensively. Jones had 100 receiving yards before San Francisco had managed more than one yard of total offense and Ryan’s 20-yard strike to Jones six seconds into the second quarter gave Atlanta a 17-0 edge.

The 49ers finally got on the board on James’ 15-yard run and cut it to 17-14 when Kaepernick found Davis on the right side for a 4-yard touchdown.

Ryan connected with Tony Gonzalez on a 10-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the second quarter to send the Falcons into the half with a 24-14 lead. The Falcons had one last chance, but Roddy White failed to corral Ryan’s pass on fourth-and-four inside the red zone with 1:09 to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 17-point deficit was the largest ever overcome in an NFC championship game. … San Francisco missed a chance to tie it at 24-24 when David Akers had his 38-yard field goal attempt slam off the top of the left upright with 5:44 left in the third period. The 49ers got the ball right back and were ready to take the lead when Crabtree fumbled at the goal line. … Atlanta RB Michael Turner left in the third quarter with an ankle injury.