National Football League
San Francisco 23, Carolina 10
When: 1:05 PM ET, Sunday, January 12, 2014
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Temperature: 54°
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 73784


49ers 23, Panthers 10: Colin Kaepernick threw for one touchdown and ran for another as visiting San Francisco advanced to its third consecutive NFC Championship Game.

Anquan Boldin had eight catches for 136 yards and Phil Dawson kicked three field goals as the 49ers (14-4) avenged a 10-9 home loss to Carolina in November to earn a third matchup with top-seeded Seattle next Sunday (the teams split the previous two this season). Kaepernick finished 15-of-28 for 196 yards and the 49ers tied Pittsburgh by reaching their 15th conference title game - the most in league history.

San Francisco's defense dominated after making a big goal-line stand late in the first half, scoring 17 unanswered points and blanking the Panthers (12-5) in the second half en route to handing Carolina only its second loss in 13 games. The 49ers registered five sacks and received interceptions from linebacker Patrick Willis and safety Donte Whitner.

Cam Newton threw for 267 yards with one touchdown and rushed for 54 yards for the Panthers, who were seeking their first postseason victory since January 2006. Steve Smith had four catches for 74 yards and a TD, but San Francisco recorded four of its five sacks after intermission to seize control.

The momentum turned when the 49ers denied Carolina twice at the goal line and made the Panthers settle for Graham Gano's 24-yard field goal for a 10-6 lead with 3:41 left in the first half. Kaepernick followed by leading an 80-yard drive and capping it with a 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Vernon Davis with 5 seconds left - a play initially ruled as incomplete but overturned on replay - to give the 49ers a 13-10 halftime edge.

After San Francisco's forced a three-and-out to start the second half, Kaepernick found Boldin for 45 yards before calling his own number on the read option and rushing in from 4 yards out for a 20-10 lead with 8:53 lead in the third. Back-to-back sacks of Newton pushed the Panthers out of field-goal position on the next possession and Whitner's interception with just under 4 1/2 minutes to play sealed the outcome.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Davis scored his seventh touchdown in seven postseason games, tying Dave Casper for the most by a tight end in the playoffs. ... San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh became the first coach in NFL history to guide a team into a conference title game in his first three seasons. ... Smith became the 16th player to register 10 postseason touchdowns, coming on eight scoring passes, one rushing TD and one punt return. ... RB Frank Gore rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries for the Niners, who lost at Seattle 29-3 on Sept. 15 and won the rematch at home 19-17 on Dec. 8.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
San Francisco   Carolina
Frank Gore Player Cam Newton
17 Attempts 10
84 Yards 54
4.9 Avg Yards 5.4
0 Touchdowns 0
39 Long 11
Receiving
San Francisco   Carolina
Anquan Boldin Player Ted Ginn Jr.
8 Receptions 4
136 Yards 104
17.0 Avg Yards 26.0
0 Touchdowns 0
45 Long 59
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
San Francisco 315 126 189 2 3 2 5.0 0
Carolina 325 93 232 1 1 0 1.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • San Francisco will play their next game on the road against Seattle. The 49ers have a W/L % of .833 after a win and .500 after a loss.