NFC Championship: "There Will Be No Three-Peat"

The 49ers, winners of consecutive Super Bowls, were favorites in the NFC Championship game on January 20, 1991. They’d gone 14-2 in the regular season, and were facing the Giants at home, at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park late on a Sunday afternoon. The Giants, coached by Bill Parcells, were no pushovers, however: they’d gone 13-3 and held the 49ers to just 7 points in a regular season matchup. Now, what transpired was another low-scoring, back-and-forth battle that was tied at 6 at halftime. In the third, it looked like the 49ers might finally break the game open when Joe Montana and John Taylor connected on a 61-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, a punishing hit by Leonard Marshall knocked Montana out of the game. Later, Lawrence Taylor's recoevery of a critical fumble by 49ers RB Roger Craig gave the ball back to the Giants, who had pulled to 13-12 behind two more Matt Bahr field goals. After Giants QB Jeff Hostetler advanced the Giants into field-goal range, Bahr – playing for his fourth NFL team in 12 years – had a shot to win the game from from 42 yards away. As time expired, the kick was good, Bahr’s fifth field goal made of the day. “There will be no three-peat,” CBS play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall said as the Giants celebrated. ― NFL 100

Box Score: Football Reference

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