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. 5: 2011 Divisional Playoffs vs. New Orleans Saints

In former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season, the 49ers had turned around a dismal 6-10 2010 season into a 13-3 NFC West champion season.

The Niners got off to a quick start, going up 17-0 early in the second quarter. However, the New Orleans Saints rallied to be only three points down at halftime.

Quarterback Alex Smith had a good game, going 24-of-42 for 299 yards and three touchdowns. However, the real star was tight end Vernon Davis, who played his best game as a 49er with seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with only nine seconds remaining.

This catch was unofficially dubbed “The Catch III”.

The most memorable aspect of this game was that there were four lead changes in the final three minutes of the game. After the Saints took their first lead of the game, Smith responded on a 3rd-and-long with a 28-yard touchdown run, and after losing the lead again with only a minute left, came Davis’ heroics.

This was a game of epic mixed emotions, and confirmed the Niners as one of the NFL’s elite teams again. This is a game that any 49er fan simply won’t forget for a long time (another Candlestick classic), and is a worthy top-five playoff game on this list.