SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers’ post-game locker room was quite a different place than last week’s victorious locker room following a come-from-behind win against the Saints.
Somber as the Niners’ locker room was at the reality that their season came to a stark end, players had nothing but praise for the Giants and their 20-17 overtime victory in the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park.
“The New York Giants came out and played a real good football game on the road and they deserve all the credit for today’s win,” safety Donte Whitner said. “It’s tough. Now we go home and the New York Giants go to the Super Bowl.”
There were no excuses by the 49ers and no attempt to discredit the New York victory.
“Give them [the Giants] credit,” running back Anthony Dixon said. “They came in here and got the job done and we didn’t.”
Two things stand out about the 49ers’ offense: San Francisco was a dismal 1-for-13 on third-down conversions and quarterback Alex Smith completed only one pass to the entire Niners’ receiving corps on the day.
“We were awful on third down. We had too many third-and-longs and we couldn’t convert,” Smith said. “They [Giants] mixed it up a lot today, coverage-wise.”
Smith said the Giants mixed up their pass coverages much more this game than in the 49ers’ 27-20 win over the Giants in November.
“We just didn’t get it done offensively,” Smith said. “It [the loss] feels [like garbage].”
True, Smith (12-for-26, 196 yards and two touchdowns) did connect on two long scoring passes to tight end Vernon Davis, but it was his receivers that pulled the disappearing act. Michael Crabtree, the team’s only real deep threat from the outside — with Ted Ginn, Jr., inactive due to a knee injury — caught one pass for three yards and was only thrown to five times all game.
“Sometimes you just have to move the ball,” Crabtree said. “You have to make plays.”
The Giants had no such problems making plays from the receivers position, as Eli Manning effectively spread the ball around to Victor Cruz (10 catches, 142 yards), Hakeem Nicks (12 catches, 55 yards), and Mario Manningham (one catch, 17-yard touchdown).
“The Giants played great. They made one more play than we did,” Niners offensive guard Joe Staley said. “This isn’t the kind of locker room we wanted after this game. We wanted to be celebrating going to the Super Bowl.”
Special teams player Blake Costanzo, a native of New Jersey, was a hero last week by being in the middle of two Saints turnovers. Yesterday, he was philosophical about the change of fortune.
“It is a tribute to the Giants that they played hard and were able to cause those turnovers,” he said.