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San Francisco 49ers: Breaking down the 20 biggest moments of the decade

By Jeremy Wohlfart

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 23: Fireworks go off after the last regular season game at Candlestick Park where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-24 on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 23: Fireworks go off after the last regular season game at Candlestick Park where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-24 on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers
NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

No. 11: NaVorro Bowman strips the ball and tears his knee

In his prime, linebacker NaVorro Bowman was such an imposing presence on the field that it was a fair question whether or not he was actually better than his teammate, (and future member in Canton) Patrick Willis.

In the 2014 NFC Championship game, Bowman stripped the ball off Seahawks wide receiver Jermaie Kearse and recovered the ball. Incredibly, the officials handed the ball back to Seattle.

But this wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Be warned, this video is not for the squeamish:

Bowman tore both his ACL and MCL, and was carted off the field in pain. Sadly, his play which was incorrectly called against him proved the difference in a 23-17 loss. Had the play correctly been ruled to San Francisco, the 49ers may have won.

Bowman missed the next season, but returned in 2015 to be a first team All-Pro, but a further injury the next season was the beginning of the end for Bowman’s tenure as a 49er.