49ers rally past Falcons to earn trip to Super Bowl

Frank Gore had a pair of touchdown runs in the second half as the San Francisco 49ers erased a 17-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 and earn a trip to the Super Bowl. The 49ers advanced to the NFL championship game for the first time since the 1994 season. They'll face either Baltimore or New England in the Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 3. San Francisco, who lost to the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the National Football Conference (NFC) title game last year, will be playing in their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history -- and have won all five they have contested to date. The 49ers trailed 17-0 midway through the second quarter before storming back in the second half as their offence came to life. Their defence also did their part, stopping a Falcons' potential scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. It marked the 49ers first playoff road win in 24 years and just the third in club history. Their last post-season road win came in 1989 against the Chicago Bears. The top-seeded Falcons were hosting their first NFC championship game but they couldn't get the job done against dynamic quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers. From AFP