San Francisco 49ers: 5 most heartbreaking playoff losses in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: 1991 NFC Championship Game versus the New York Giants
So the Giants have broken 49ers fans’ hearts twice on this list. And the first time they did so, the Giants ensured the Niners wouldn’t be the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
After all, San Francisco was the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champions entering the 1991 NFC Championship game.
Even though touchdowns were hard to come by in the game — the only one being a 61-yard pass from quarterback Joe Montana to wide receiver John Taylor — the 49ers had this bout in the books. They were up 13-12 late in the fourth quarter.
Sure, the lead might have been bigger had Montana not taken a huge hit by the Giants’ Leonard Marshall. But San Francisco was still winning.
And in New York territory, too, with 2:42 remaining.
That’s when running back Roger Craig fumbled. That fumble will haunt 49ers fans’ dreams for years.
The Giants marched down the field and took a 15-13 lead as time expired, thanks to kicker Matt Bahr’s 42-yard field goal. And New York would march on to a Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills.
“It haunts me to this day,” then-head coach George Seifert said, via Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News in 2016. “I don’t know that ownership has ever forgiven me for losing that game.”
We forgive you, George. And we forgive you too, Roger.
Niners fans everywhere felt your pain.