49ers and Pittsburgh advance in thrillers

SAN FRANCISCO and Pittsburgh pulled off thrilling come-from-behind victories on Sunday night to advance in the National Football League playoffs.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia piloted the 49ers to the second-biggest comeback in playoff history, accounting for 391 yards and four touchdowns as San Francisco erased a 24-point second-half deficit to beat the New York Giants 39-38 in an NFC wild card game. "As long as you live, you might never see a game better than that," 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. "It's kind of hard to remember everything right now, but I remember how it ended." Garcia capped the comeback and a 17-point fourth quarter for the Niners with a 13-yard scoring pass to Tai Streets with one minute left.

Despite blowing a 38-14 lead, the Giants had a chance to win the game when rookie Matt Bryant lined up for a 41-yard field goal on third down with six seconds left.