Niners End Their Stay at Candlestick Park With a Win
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Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) — NaVorro Bowman made sure the San Francisco 49ers’ final regular-season game at Candlestick Park was a win.
Bowman’s pick-six with 1:10 remaining sealed the 49ers’ 34-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons Monday night.
The win secures the 49ers (11-4) a playoff berth and keeps them in the running for the top seed in the NFC.
While the Niners won, for a little while it seemed they might blow the game.
Tony Gonzalez caught a two-yard touchdown from Matt Ryan to move the Falcons within three points of San Francisco. The Falcons then attempted an onside kick, which they recovered. Atlanta then drove the ball to the 49ers’ 10-yard line before Bowman made the game-clinching pick-six.
“I always say a lot of plays are made when you run to the ball,” Bowman told ESPN when talking about his game-winning play. “That’s all I was doing, just running to the ball and trying to make the tackle and it popped up (the ball) and I was able to make a play for the team.”
Which may help earn them more than just a wild-card spot. If the playoffs started today, the 49ers would be the five seed, but with a Week 17 win over Arizona and a loss by Seattle, the Niners would win the NFC West and secure the two-seed. If all that happens and Carolina loses as well, San Francisco becomes the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
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