The San Francisco 49ers needed either a win over the St. Louis Rams or a New Orleans Saints loss to the Carolina Panthers to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC on Sunday. Well, the Saints wrapped things up against the Panthers sooner rather than later, and they did it in a big way. Quarterback Drew Brees absolutely walked all over the Cam Newton-led Panthers, and did so with efficiency that only he can muster. New Orleans certainly did their part in trying to secure the No. 2 seed.
But the 49ers, despite a late comeback from the Rams, held on to win their game. Michael Crabtree had two touchdowns and the 49ers held out to beat the Rams 34-27. St. Louis scored a touchdown, kicked an onside kick, recovered it and then scored another touchdown after a very poor pass interference penalty called on Tarell Brown. But San Francisco tightened up after that, and they get a first-round bye.
New Orleans will have to play in the wild card round, and they'll likely take on the Detroit Lions, as the Green Bay Packers, led by Matt Flynn, out-gunned Detroit to win in the final minutes. Their opponent is still dependent on the Atlanta Falcons in the afternoon games. If Atlanta wins, then it will be a matchup against Detroit for New Orleans.