The 49ers drove for the winning touchdown.
Atlanta took the ensuing kickoff and used up nearly all the clock while going 70 yards. The Falcons might have reclaimed the lead if Harry Douglas had been able to stay on his feet while hauling in a 22-yard pass.
The defender slipped, and so did Douglas, but he held on to the ball. Harbaugh thought it touched the turf and challenged the call, then launched into his tirade when the officials let it stand. It all worked out, though.
As for the 36-year-old Gonzalez, who said all year he was all but certain this would be his final season, it sure sounded like the end.
"I've had such a great life," he said. "I wish it would've culminated with the Super Bowl, but it didn't."
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Reader Comments (