SAN FRANCISCO – One shot.

The two words were churning inside Vernon Davis' head from halftime onward Saturday. When he lined up on the New Orleans 14-yard line with 14 seconds left in the game and the 49ers trailing by three points, they were pounding like a jackhammer.

"We only got one shot," Davis shouted to his teammates at halftime in the locker room. "If you don't take advantage of it, you go home."

Davis indeed took advantage, and it's the Saints who are going home after falling 36-32 in a wild and heart-pounding game that had five lead changes and saw both teams put up more than 400 yards of offense.

On a play specifically installed to take advantage of the Saints' red-zone tendencies on defense, Davis cut across the goal line in front of safety Roman Harper and hauled in a dart from Alex Smith for the game-winning score with nine seconds left.

Like Terrell Owens after his game-winning touchdown catch against Green Bay in the playoffs in 1999, Davis rose after a big hit with tears streaming down his face and was embraced on the sideline by his head coach.

Afterward, a still-emotional Davis said the play ought to be dubbed "The Grab," and indeed it had heavy shades of Owens' "The Catch II" in 1999 and the original "The Catch" in 1982.

This game, however, may have been better than either of those. "It's history, it's legendary," Davis said.

After a staid third quarter, in which only three points were scored, the two teams combined for 34 points in the back-and-forth fourth quarter.

The Saints took their first lead of the game, 24-23, after tailback Darren Sproles converted a short throw from Drew Brees into a 44-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

Short and intermediate passes that turned into big plays had been San Francisco's defensive Achilles' heel during the regular season, and one of them stung the 49ers again after they regained the lead on a 28-yard touchdown run by Smith with 2:11 remaining in the game.

Brees, who had been harassed by Justin Smith and the 49ers' pass rushers throughout the afternoon, brought his team to his own 34-yard line before throwing to tight end Jimmy Graham in heavy coverage. Graham turned to snag the 25-yard pass, stayed on his feet and then outraced a gaggle of 49ers defenders to the end zone. The Saints went for a two-point conversion, got it and led 32-29 with 1:27 left.

On the visitors' sideline, the Saints celebrated as if they were heading to the NFC Championship Game, and with only one timeout left, it seemed the best the 49ers could hope for was a field goal that would send the game into overtime.

Instead, the 49ers beat the Saints at their own game, with Alex Smith outplaying Brees and Davis outdueling Graham, who will represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

On second down from the San Francisco 33-yard line, Smith saw Davis – as he was for most of the game — in single coverage and hit him on the left side of the field. Davis brought in the pass and was hauled down at the New Orleans 20-yard line, a gain of 47 yards. Davis finished with 180 receiving yards, the most ever for a tight end in the playoffs.

A short pass from Smith to running back Frank Gore took the ball to the 14-yard line. Smith then spiked it with 14 seconds left.

At that point, the 49ers easily could have brought in David Akers for his fourth field goal of the game. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman, however, decided to go for the kill.

Roman said the big play to Davis had staggered the New Orleans defenders. Besides, the 49ers had the perfect play in their arsenal.

It was drawn up during the week by quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst, who had spent the previous five seasons in Carolina and who knew the Saints' defense, especially the red-zone defense, well.

The 49ers wagered that Harper would be standing flatfooted two yards deep in the end zone and that Davis had a good shot of catching the pass in front of him. "At that point, it becomes a body-position game, a leverage game," Roman said.

The 49ers ran the play in practice all week in anticipation of such a scenario. The only difference was that in practice, Davis lined up on the right side of the formation. In the game, he was on the left.

It didn't matter to Smith, who finished with 299 passing yards, his highest total of the season.

All season, the opponents' game plan against the 49ers had been to stop Gore and the running game and dare Smith to beat them through the air.

Said Roman, still aggressive a half-hour after the game ended: "How'd that work out for them?"
 

REPORT CARD

• Offense: The group was feeble and ineffective during long stretches. But as was the case during the regular season, when Alex Smith and Co. needed to step up, they did. Vernon Davis' 180 receiving yards are the most ever by a tight end in the postseason. Grade: A-

• Defense: The defense forced three Saints turnovers, and Justin Smith played ferociously. But the takeaways were overshadowed by a consistent problem this season – allowing short and intermediate throws to turn into huge pass plays. Grade: B-

• Special teams: Is there a better unit in the league? Drew Brees had to go the length of the field all afternoon, and the unit forced two fumbles. David Akers converted all three-field goal attempts. Grade: A+

• Overall: The 49ers beat the hottest team in the NFL in a game that will be remembered for a long time. In the short term, they also got a head start to heal and to game-plan for next week's opponent. Win that, and the 49ers are in the Super Bowl. Grade: A

– Matthew Barrows

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Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins was breaking down the highs and lows from last Thursday's practice as if it were a playoff game. He beamed while boasting that the first-team defense had held tight end Jimmy Graham without a catch for three consecutive weeks in red-zone drills. Then he beat himself up for dropping an interception he should have caught.
What Jenkins was describing was the weekly battle between the first-team offense and first-team defense - daily sessions that last only a few snaps but provide a rare opportunity for those two units to go head-to-head, unscripted.

"They're dead serious," Jenkins said. "It's very competitive. Guys get bragging rights and really get after it."

For many Saints players, these daily battles are their favorite part of the work week -- and some of the most valuable.

In a normal week, they'll have a run competition Wednesday and a seven-on-seven passing drill Thursday. Then on Friday comes the ultimate standoff, six or seven full-team snaps inside the red zone.

Some teams never put both units on the practice field at the same time during the regular season. Tailback Darren Sproles said he didn't do it while with the San Diego Chargers, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said the only time he had done it was when he was coach in Buffalo.

Coach Sean Payton, however, values the sessions, which they had done during his previous stints with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

"I think our thought process is, you know what, we're never going to face anything more exotic than what we see from our guys. And they're never going to face more weapons than what they see against us," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "Some of the best stuff is just when you do competitive periods against your own defense. Both sides know each other pretty well, but that just creates even more competitiveness. And it livens it up. It breaks up the monotony of where you're repping something against the same look over and over again.

"This way, you never know what you're going to get. Especially when you go up against our defense."
Although the players are smart enough not to injure each other, they go all-out to win the daily battles, with the coaches and players often bringing out new strategies to deceive and confuse the opposition.

Williams has talked throughout the season about how his defense has taken some of the things that worked during those practice sessions and translated them onto the field on Sundays. He specifically talked about some techniques they came up with to stop Graham in practice that they wound up using to slow down Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson earlier in the season.

Cornerback Jabari Greer, however, said the Saints aren't looking ahead when they draw up those practice plans. They're thinking only about the task at hand.

"When we go out there and compete against Jimmy Graham, it has nothing to do with Calvin Johnson. It's all Jimmy Graham," Greer said. "That's the type of team we have. We have a very competitive team, and when Jimmy lines up there, we make sure he's not going to catch it. If it translates to good coverage on Calvin, that's great. But first and foremost we make sure that (Graham's) not scoring on us, and he's not spiking the ball on our defense."

Asked if Graham follows his practice touchdowns with his trademark dunks over the goal post, Greer said he wouldn't dare.

"I mean, he's had some successful days, and he's definitely a threat. But going against each other is fun," Greer said. "And I believe if he was ever to do that, we'd have one of our defenders go up there and try to reject it."

That defender most likely would be Jenkins, who has taken the competition against Graham to heart.

Fellow safety Roman Harper said Jenkins "doesn't even let me cover him half the time, because he wants to go cover. So I have to go do his job while he goes over there and runs and tries to tackle Jimmy."

"So it's fun, it's entertaining," Harper said. "And with Drew and those guys, why not use that offense to our benefit? They're the best in the league. So if we can do something and have Drew a little messed up, that means we're doing a pretty good job."

Those little rivalries creep up everywhere on the field -- Sproles vs. linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Greer vs. receiver Marques Colston, defensive end Will Smith vs. the offensive tackles. They definitely keep score. And they definitely talk trash.

Various players suggest Brees, Vilma and Williams are among the chattiest competitors on the field. Colston said the intensity of these sessions has picked up since Williams arrived in 2009 -- something that also has been evident during training-camp battles between the offense and defense.

During the red-zone drills, the Saints' offense starts near the 20-yard line then moves closer to the end zone for each snap. A gain of 4 yards or more is a win for the offense, and 3 yards or less is a win for the defense. Touchdowns are obviously the ultimate measuring stick, though.

By most accounts, the competition has hovered around 50-50.

Vilma admitted that the offense had a "pretty good" day this week, when they did their red-zone showdown Thursday. But several defensive players insisted they were on a hot streak for three weeks before that.

As Harper said, "Over the last month, we put our foot in their butt a little bit. I'm not gonna lie."

Harper claimed that was good for the offense, though, taking credit for inspiring some of those record-breaking offensive performances the Saints have posted on game days.

"We got 'em so shook," Harper said, "they know they've got to come out and shoot."

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.
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The New Orleans Saints will play Saturday in the divisional playoff against the San Francisco 49ers without tight end John Gilmore (toe) and wide receiver Lance Moore (hamstring), according to the team's final injury report. Three other players - linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee), safety Roman Harper (ankle) and wide receiver Robert Meachem (knee) are probable after being listed by Coach Sean Payton as limited at practice on Friday.

Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (knee) is questionable for the game.

Meanwhile, the 49ers had five players listed as questionable. They were tight end Delanie Walker (jaw), cornerback Chris Culliver (knee/illness), wide receiver Ted Ginn (ankle), defensive tackle Ray McDonald (hamstring) and wide receiver Kyle Williams (concussion).
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FOXBORO — Just when you think you have a handle on Tim Tebow as a quarterback, just when you think you can wrap him up and put him in a nice, neat little box with a bow on top, he bursts out and throws something else at you —literally.

Maybe that’s just how it is with athletes who are supremely competitive, incredibly gifted and, above all, winners.

The Patriots [team stats] knew all about the Tebow legend when they faced him three weeks ago in Denver, and handily put the quarterback and the Broncos away, 41-23. The Pats knew about the running, the improvising, the magic. But there’s more to the Tebow equation this time around.
The Tebow the Pats see now can hit the defense where it hurts most, in the air. And by that, we’re not talking about short dump passes. We’re not even talking about intermediate throws. Tebow is unable to hit either of those kinds of throws with any regularity.

We’re talking about the long ball. That’s Tebow’s ticket. And those deep passes are a threat, especially where the Patriots are concerned. All the defense did in the regular season was give up 70 completions of 20 or more yards.
The Tebow the Pats see now can hit the defense where it hurts most, in the air. And by that, we’re not talking about short dump passes. We’re not even talking about intermediate throws. Tebow is unable to hit either of those kinds of throws with any regularity.

We’re talking about the long ball. That’s Tebow’s ticket. And those deep passes are a threat, especially where the Patriots are concerned. All the defense did in the regular season was give up 70 completions of 20 or more yards.
Plus, they now have an opponent and a quarterback essentially playing with house money. Tebow has already delivered the unexpected. They’re simply coming to Gillette Stadium for more.

“They believe,” Wilfork said of the Broncos.

Denver believes somehow, some way, its quarterback will find a way to get the job done, even if he has to go outside the box — the one everyone’s created for him — to make it happen.
 

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There has been plenty of discussion in and around the NFL this season about how these Patriots aren't like "those" Patriots, those Patriots being the star-studded teams that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span.

And perhaps they're not — in the most clinical sense. They did finish the regular season 31st in total defense (yards allowed per game); they did have so many issues in the secondary that they played two wide receivers as defensive backs at times; they haven't always tackled as a fundamentally sound defense should; they've had some injury troubles in the offensive line; and don't always run the ball with any consistency.

All true.

But the Patriots also haven't lost a game since the first week of November. They were 5-3 when they were beaten, 24-20, by the Giants on Nov. 6.

They've won eight games since; they've scored at least 31 points in seven of those wins; they've got Tom Brady at quarterback and have home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs.

That looks to be fairly close to business as usual for the Patriots.

They've also had a week off, and the time was likely most beneficial to the team's offensive line. Guard Logan Mankins, who missed the regular-season finale with a sprained knee, practiced Tuesday and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer​, who has neither practiced nor played since Nov. 27, also took part in Tuesday's practice.

And how the Broncos match up with that offensive line to pressure Brady will certainly be at the top of the Denver to-do list.

That's because the Patriots have lost their last three postseason games — Super Bowl XLII​ to close out the 2007 season, a wild-card loss to the Ravens to close out 2009 and a divisional round loss to the Jets to finish last season. And a big reason, perhaps the biggest reason, the Patriots have lost those games was because those defenses consistently got to Brady.

Brady was sacked 13 times in those three postseason losses and knocked down almost twice that many times. He has thrown four interceptions and lost two fumbles in the three games.

Those are all very un-Brady like numbers. And like many teams that have done business in the salary cap era in the NFL who also happen to have the once-in-a-lifetime guy behind center, the Patriots have leaned on Brady more and more each year to get them into the postseason as they've struggled to keep their roster together.

So the double-digit win seasons have continued, even though some playoff disappointments have come along for the ride as well.

Tuesday, Brady said life is a week-to-week affair in New England, that head coach Bill Belichick​ doesn't really allow time for all that much reflection in the rearview mirror, whether those games were last month or in postseasons past.

But those who know Brady say he knows everything that goes on with the Patriots and remembers every on-field disappointment that has come his way, few as they have been. Anyone who saw the emotion as he spiked the ball after a regular-season rushing touchdown against the Broncos four weeks ago could understand that.

While football is routinely described as the ultimate game, the NFL's postseason can often boil down to what a defense can do with the championship quarterback across from it. And the championship quarterback across from the Broncos this week is not injured, as Ben Roethlisberger​ was; is not on the road, as the Steelers were; and is chasing another trophy for the case.

So, these Patriots may not be "those" Patriots. But Brady is. In fact, he just might even be a little better than that.

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