Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Top 10 playoff games in franchise history

By Trevor Irvine

SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 15: San Francisco 49ers owner, Eddie Debartolo, holds up the 1984 NFC Championship trophy in front of the fans prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on September 15, 1985 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 35-16. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 15: San Francisco 49ers owner, Eddie Debartolo, holds up the 1984 NFC Championship trophy in front of the fans prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on September 15, 1985 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 35-16. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /
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No. 10: 2012 Divisional Playoffs vs. Green Bay Packers

This was the game that quarterback Colin Kaepernick made a name for himself nationally. After throwing a early pick-six to Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields, Kaepernick shook off this bad throw by playing the best game of his short career, which in turn was his first playoff game.

Indeed, after the interception the 49ers scored six touchdowns in their next nine drives.

Kaepernick used his speed and running ability to deadly effect, running various scrambles and designed QB runs. He finished with a NFL-record 181 rush yards by a QB in a game, and threw for 263 yards, leading San Francisco to a 45-31 win.

In all, the Niners offense had an incredible 579 total yards, which was a playoff record-worst for the Packers. The 49ers had not seen a QB run around with so much success since Steve Young. Kaepernick’s total yards for the game (444) exceeded the entire offensive input by the Packers (352).

This game silenced the critics who had been calling for former starter Alex Smith to return to the starting lineup.

Kaepernick’s performance makes this an easy playoff game to include on this list.