Giants Pound 49ers: Next Stop NFC Championship 25 Years Ago This Week

The Giants on this week in 1986, faced the hated 49ers and Joe Montana in the Divisional Playoffs after a bye week.  The Giants entered this game as three point favorites, which we all know means the game was equal except it was being played in Giants Stadium.  This game was anything but equal.

Early in this game with the 49ers backed up in their own end, Jerry Rice caught a slant pass from Montana and was running free through the Giants secondary.  At about the 15 yard line of the Giants his knee hit the ball and he fumbled.  After a scramble, the Giants recovered the fumble, and never looked back.

In the second quarter Jim Burt delivered one of the most vicious blows in the history of the NFL on Montana and knocked him out of the game.  He almost knocked him out of the stadium. Burt Destroys Montana  On the play Lawrence Taylor intercepted the attempted Montana pass and returned it for a TD.  The Giants scored 21 points in both the 2nd and third quarters.  The Giants defense held the 49ers to just 29 yards rushing, and 184 total yards, with a 2 of 14 third down conversion rate.  The Giants on the other hand rushed for 216 yards.  The final was 49-3.

The Giants now looked forward to playing the Washington Redskins one more time, this time with a trip to Pasadena and the Super Bowl on the line.