The Falcons looked to play spoiler in the San Francisco 49ers final game at Candlestick Park on Monday night. And it looked like they were going to do that as they were down by three with possession at the 49ers 10-yard line. But when Matt Ryan threw a pass intended for Harry Douglas, it was broken up by Tramaine Brock and fell into the hands of NaVorrow Bowman who returned it for the 89-yard score en route to a 34-24 win over the Falcons.
The Falcons were down by 10 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. But Ryan threw his second touchdown pass of the night to Tony Gonzalez to cut the lead to three. The Falcons then went for the onside kick and Jason Snelling recovered to put the Falcons in position for the go-ahead score.
The 49ers go off to slow start, trailing 10-3 at the half. After a 49-yard field goal by Phil Dawson in the first quarter to give the 49ers the lead, the Falcons scored 10 unanswered points thanks to Steven Jackson 2-yard touchdown run and a Matt Bryant 35-yard field goal in the second quarter.
The 49ers tied the game at the start of the third quarter when Colin Kaepernick threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin. They took the lead late in the third quarter when Dawson kicked a 30-yard field goal.
San Francisco would increase the lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter when Kaepernick scored on a 4-yard run. The Falcons answered on the ensuing drive when Ryan threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White. But the 49ers pulled the lead back to 10 late in the fourth when Frank Gore scored on a 1-yard run.
Despite the costly interception late in the fourth quarter, Ryan had an effective night in the pocket. He was 37-of-48 for 348 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. White was his main target, catching 12 passes for 141 yards and one score. Tony Gonzalez, who played in his final NFL road game, caught eight passes for 63 yards and one score. Ryan has now thrown for over 4,000 yards the last three seasons, which is the second longest active streak in the NFL.
Steven Jackson had 16 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown. He has now scored six touchdowns the last five weeks which is tied for the most during that span.
The Falcons fall to 4-11 and their road record ends at 1-7 for the year. They will play their final home game of the season on Sunday when they face the Carolina Panthers at the Georgia Dome.
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