Where does 49ers/Saints game rank all-time (excluding Super Bowls)?

Originally posted by kray28:
I would have been up there if we'd gone on to win the Superbowl. Since we didn't, it falls into the same category as our previous playoff win in 2003 (beat Giants 39-38).

Sucks...but it's true.

Yeah I agree. Most people will say the one against the Saints because it's still fresh, but that game against the Giants was crazy.

Strahan points to the scoreboard and then the Niners just destroy them after that. Then the last play of the game that everyone thought was a pass interference call. Such a crazy game.

Originally posted by NinerPrideinNJ:

Not sure if this is a thread already, so all apologies if it is. With a lull in free agency (outside of the great news that Ginn is back) and about a month until draft day, I'm clearly bored.

Simply put, where does 49ers/Saints Divisional game rank all-time for you in 49ers history?

You can put it within the context of regular season or playoff games, I just excluded Super Bowls because it's tough to get any better than the top of the mountain. For me, it's ranks as the best. Partially because of how much pain I'd endured over the previous 9 seasons; partially because I had the honor of being at Candlestick for it; mostly because it was an unfathomable finish and a fitting return to postseason glory.

I just watched it last night. Top 3 for sure possibly number one

As a fan, it ranks probably the highest outside of SBs. Main reason: four lead changes in the last 4 minutes. I don't think any other game had that many lead changes in the final minutes. Also, during the lead changes, the offense had to carry the ball all the way to the end zone (no punt or int returns).
Plus, the way the game ended!

NO game in the Smith years and it's hard to think of a better game even going back to the 80s. One of the reasons it was so sad to see all the Smith hate after the season--during the Manning odyssey. Even after Smith's incredible performance against NO some people were still able to say he was incapable of playing good football.

Top 5.

1. The Catch
2. The Catch II
3. The Catch III
4. Wildcard 2002
5. 1994 NFC Title Game

Since everyone has mentioned the 2002 wildcard game, allow me to illustrate why you have every reason to feel good about the controversial ending (as the Giants fans feel sooooooooooo ROBBED by it)

I have studied it quite a bit and come to these conclusions:

1. The bad snap in that situation pretty much left the best option to just fall on it and redo the kick (I don't remember if the Giants had a timeout left).
2. The scramble by the holder and the desperate throw -- unbelievable luck to even get that thing off downfield as far as it did AND without getting sacked


Now here's the kicker:

3. The throw NEVER made it to the end zone, which was huge. The big deal was that the Giants wanted a pass interference call.....but the interesting thing is, had we NOT interfered, and the offensive LINEMAN caught it (what are the chances a lineman makes that catch??), he would have been taken down immediately at the 3 yard line....and TIME WOULD HAVE RUN OUT!! Of course, you have to ask, what are the chances he catches and scores?? LOLOLOLOL!!!

Their ONLY OUT in that situation was a miraculous pass interference call and they basically were a referee mistake from getting one. It's also interesting to note that had the Giants lined up for a standard hail mary, they most likely would not have scored or gotten a pass interference call.

So to sum up, line up and run that play 100 times, and 99 times that play ends in a sack, incomplete pass, interception, a catch that ends up in bounds with clock expiring, etc. Maybe 1 out of 100 you get a sideline pass and step out of bounds before time expires. How many touchdowns do you think are possible? 1 out of 300???

Excluding the fact that blowing a 24 point lead means you DESERVE TO LOSE, the Giants would have been EXTREMELY f***n lucky to get that break if they did.

And then Tampa Bay the week after? Really.....they were gonna beat them????

The Packers fans don't even b***h about the Rice fumble as much as these Giants fans do over that game......crazy.

Maybe top 25, sadly great games that don't lead to championships are soon forgotten by all but the most hard core fans. Already the casual fan only remembers our loss to the Giants, give it a few seasons, and most NFL fans won't even remember that. We Niner fans will remember it for a while, but play off victories with out championships fade quickly for us as well.

Originally posted by adrenaline:
Top 5.

1. The Catch
2. The Catch II
3. The Catch III
4. Wildcard 2002
5. 1994 NFC Title Game

gotta go with this list

jumping all over the cowboys in 94 was epic

I was too small to remember "the catch" but I would put it right up there with "the catch 2". The niner/saints game was more exciting IMO because our defense ktfo'd so many saints but when Young finally bested Farvre, that was pretty. I always thought that team would of beat Denver for the 6th SB, had Hearst not broken his ankle against the durty birds.

But easily the most exciting 4th quarter Ive ever seen in any game at any level.

Great response on this one fellas. Keep it coming.

Prior this game, my favorite was "The Catch II". But I have to put this ahead of it because with the catch II, we were still in our glory years. This one had so much more meaning behind it because of our 9 year absence from the playoffs.

Furthermore, it was actually a better finish than the GB game.

Lastly, it capped a season in which Smith won big-time respect from me. The icing on the cake so to speak. He'll always have a special place in my mind because of what he did for our team during a time where we needed it oh so badly.

All the pressure in the world was on his shoulders, and instead of crumbling like in years prior, he seized the day and delivered one of the greatest passes in 49ers history.

"I must WIN!" as Harbaugh said in clip I caught in another post.

Ah, to have heard Starkey call that game would be really something though. If he went that crazy on the Owens catch, God only knows what he would have done in those last 4 minutes.

OH WHAT A BONANZA! SMITH ETCHES HIS NAME IN 49ERS HISTORY!

Ranks high up there for me I still watch the youtube highlights and get goose bumps.. Can't wait for next season

Originally posted by 9erObsession:
Ranks high up there for me I still watch the youtube highlights and get goose bumps.. Can't wait for next season

Same here. With the wild finish, the fact that the 49ers came out blazing in the first quarter gets overlooked.

Hopefully with our new WR weapons, when we get out in front and get that amount of turnovers right out the gate we won't have to mount a thrilling 4th quarter comeback.