San Francisco 49ers safeties Donte Whitner (31) and Dashon Goldson, right rear, react in the third quarter of an NFL football game as New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) lies on the turf in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. At left is 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis (52). (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
December 16, 2012 - 9:19 PM
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The San Francisco 49ers earned a playoff berth by withstanding a stunning comeback by New England from a 28-point deficit to beat the Patriots 41-34 on Sunday night in the rain.
Michael Crabtree took a short pass and sped around cornerback Kyle Arrington for a 38-yard touchdown with 6:25 to go, then David Akers made a 28-yard field goal to clinch it.
New England (10-4) trailed 31-3 at one point and lost for the first time at home in December in 21 games. They also had won 21 in a row in the second half of the schedule before San Francisco (10-3-1) somehow regrouped late in a game it seemingly had clinched long before.
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News from © The Associated Press, 2012