49ers recover, earn playoff bye

— Michael Crabtree’s career day sent the San Francisco 49ers to another NFC West crown and into the playoffs with some much-needed momentum.

Crabtree caught touchdown passes of 49 and 7 yards and finished with a career high 172 yards, leading the 49ers to a 27-13 victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday after a slow start. To make things even better, they also get a first-round bye.

Colin Kaepernick threw for a career-best 276 yards and two touchdowns as the Niners (11-4-1) did their part to control the postseason picture - then waited all of about 15 minutes to watch Minnesota beat Green Bay and give San Francisco the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a week off before hosting a divisional playoff game.

Frank Gore ran for a 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter for his franchise-best 51st career touchdown rushing, breaking a tie with mentor Roger Craig and the late Hall of Famer Joe Perry.

Brian Hoyer completed 19 of 34 passes for 225 yards and a late touchdown pass in his first career NFL start as Arizona’s fourth quarterback. The Cardinals (5-11) lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games in what might have been Ken Whisenhunt’s final game as coach.

Crabtree’s outstanding outing was the best by a 49ers receiver since Terrell Owens’ 166-yard performance on Nov. 25, 2002, against Philadelphia.

Crabtree caught a 31-yard pass to set up his team-leading eighth touchdown reception on the next play. The sequence put him over 1,000 yards, giving San Francisco its first 1,000-yard receiver since Owens in 2003.

The next series, Crabtree made a one-handed grab with his right hand along the left sideline on third-and-11 for a 19-yard gain and first down.

He made a 14-yard catch on fourth down late in the third, and later converted another fourth down with a reception of 7 yards.

Struggling San Francisco kicker David Akers missed wide left on a 44-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter, then did it again with nearly the same kick - from 40 yards this time - 24 seconds before halftime.

But Akers bounced back by nailing one from 43 yards early in the second half yet was later clipped in his left, kicking foot by Arizona’s Justin Bethel. He stayed in the game, then booted a 26-yard field goal with 9:00 remaining.

Hoyer completed 7 of his first 13 passes and three consecutive - for 7, 15 and 12 yards - during one drive as Arizona took a 3-0 lead on Jay Feely’s 35-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Feely added a 31-yarder early in the second to make it 6-0.

SEAHAWKS 20, RAMS 13 Russell Wilson tied Peyton Manning’s record for most touchdown passes by a rookie with 26, and his 1-yard scoring run with 1:39 left allowed Seattle to finish as the only unbeaten team at home. Seattle (11-5) entered the day with hopes of still winning the NFC West and getting a home playoff game, but those dreams were dashed when San Francisco beat Arizona. Seattle will be the No. 5 seed and face the NFC East winner - Washington or Dallas - next Sunday. The Rams (7-8-1) sacked Wilson six times, but couldn’t come up with their first winning record since 2003.

PATRIOTS 28, DOLPHINS 0 Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes and New England earned a playoff bye. Stevan Ridley ran for two touchdowns as the Patriots used a ball-control offense and a defense that racked up a season-high seven sacks. Now, seeded second in the AFC, they have an extra week to savor the victory and prepare for their postseason opener. The Patriots (12-4) led 21-0 at halftime on Brady’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker and Ridley’s runs of 1 and 2 yards, capping drives lasting 14 and 13 plays. They ended the scoring on Brady’s 23-yard scoring pass to Rob Gronkowski, who missed the previous five games after breaking his left forearm. The Dolphins (7-9) finished with a losing record for the fourth consecutive season.

BUCCANEERS 22, FALCONS 17 Atlanta couldn’t follow through with its plan to gain momentum for the playoffs as Josh Freeman threw a touchdown pass to Mike Williams and Doug Martin ran for 141 yards for Tampa Bay. The Falcons (13-3) had little to play for as they already have home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs. Coach Mike Smith said he wanted to “finish the regular season the right way,” and he stayed with his starters through the game. The danger to Smith’s strategy was losing a top starter to an injury. Defensive end John Abraham, Atlanta’s best pass rusher, left with an apparent left ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Dunta Robinson suffered a head injury in the first quarter and did not return.

BEARS 26, LIONS 24 Jay Cutler threw for 257 yards and a touchdown and helped seal the game with a late scramble. Chicago finished 10-6 and was eliminated from playoff contention when Minnesota beat Green Bay. The Lions (4-12) lost their last eight games and turned the ball over four times in the finale. Calvin Johnson fell short in his attempt to become the first player with 2,000 yards receiving in a season. Cutler’s 19-yard run on third down helped Chicago run out the clock late in the fourth quarter.

BENGALS 23, RAVENS 17 Carlos Dunlap returned an interception 14 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Ravens (10-6) had already clinched their second consecutive AFC North title,and they will open the playoffs at home against Indianapolis, which defeated Houston on Sunday. The Bengals (10-6) will travel to Houston on Saturday. The Ravens let quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice play only two series. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green sat out the second half.

GIANTS 42, EAGLES 7 Despite Eli Manning’s career-high five touchdown passes, New York’s playoff hopes ended minutes after routing Philadelphia. Chicago’s victory over Detroit ended the Giants’ long-shot playoff chances. The loss means that it will be seven consecutive seasons that the Super Bowl champion has failed to win a playoff game the following year. Philadelphia closed the season 4-12.

PANTHERS 44, SAINTS 38 DeAngelo Williams (Wynne) rushed for 210 yards, including touchdown runs of 54 and 12 yards, for Carolina (7-9), which closed the season with four consecutive victories. His 65-yard gain set up the first of three 1-yard scoring runs by Mike Tolbert. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passed for 396 yards, giving him 5,177 this season. That makes him the first player to eclipse 5,000 yards three times. His four touchdown passes gave him 43 in 2012, and he’s the first player with 40 scoring passes in consecutive seasons. The Saints (7-9) also gave up 530 yards, raising their season total to 7,042 to break the record of 6,793 allowed by the 1981 Baltimore Colts.

STEELERS 24, BROWNS 10 Ben Roethlisberger threw three short touchdown passes, and Pittsburgh avoided its first losing season in nearly a decade.

BILLS 28, JETS 9 C.J. Spiller scored on a 66-yard catch and run in helping Buffalo beat New York.

TITANS 38, JAGUARS 20 Tennessee became the first NFL team with two players scoring twice on returns in closing out the season with two victories in its final three games. Darius Reynaud scored on two punt returns and rookie linebacker Zach Brown returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

CHARGERS 24, RAIDERS 21 Micheal Spurlock returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown for San Diego (7-9), which missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

SUNDAY’S GAMES All times Central

Tennessee 38, Jacksonville 20 Carolina 44, New Orleans 38 Buffalo 28, NY Jets 9 Cincinnati 23, Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 10 Indianapolis 28, Houston 16 NY Giants 42, Philadelphia 7 Chicago 26, Detroit 24 Tampa Bay 22, Atlanta 17 San Diego 24, Oakland 21 San Francisco 27, Arizona 13 Seattle 20, St. Louis 13Denver 38, Kansas City 3 Minnesota 37, Green Bay 34 New England 28, Miami 0 Washington 28, Dallas 18

WILD-CARD PLAYOFFS SATURDAY, JAN. 5

Cincinnati at Houston, 3:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Green Bay, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, JAN. 6

Indianapolis at Baltimore, noon Seattle at Washington, 3:30 p.m.

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS SATURDAY, JAN. 12-SUNDAY, JAN. 13

Sports, Pages 17 on 12/31/2012

Upcoming Events