2013 NFC Divisional Playoff

Lore & Background

The 49ers entered the game as the fifth seed Wild Card, having defeated the Green Bay Packers 23–20 in the wild-card round. They then defeated the Carolina Panthers 23–10 in the Divisional round, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship 23–17.

In Their Own Story

The bay wind howled through Candlestick Park, biting through layers of red and gold as hope hung by a thread. Down ten points with the clock bleeding out, the roar inside was a physical weight. Then came the spark: Kaepernick scrambling under pressure, eyes locked on the end zone. The ball spiraled into the cold air, tipped by Richard Sherman, but the referee's whistle cut through the chaos—'Pass interference!' Arms raised high, the call ignited an eruption that drowned out the gale. One play later, Anquan Boldin snatched the game-winner as the stadium shook, the ground beneath Candlestick Park trembling as if it might finally lift into the sky.

Reader's Guide

The critical pass interference play occurred near midfield, approximately the Seattle 40-yard line, not at the Seattle 25-yard line as previously stated.

Did You Know?

• The 49ers' 23–10 win over the Panthers was their second playoff victory of the 2013 season.
• The 49ers failed to join the 1985 New England Patriots, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2007 New York Giants, and 2010 Green Bay Packers as the only teams to win three straight road games in the playoffs.