(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
By BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers earned a playoff berth by withstanding a stunning comeback by New England from a 28-point deficit to beat the Patriots 41-34 on Sunday night in the rain.
Michael Crabtree took a short pass and sped around cornerback Kyle Arrington for a 38-yard touchdown with 6:25 to go, then David Akers made a 28-yard field goal to clinch it.
New England (10-4) trailed 31-3 at one point and lost for the first time at home in December in 21 games. They also had won 21 in a row in the second half of the schedule before San Francisco (10-3-1) somehow regrouped late in a game it seemingly had clinched long before.
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Associated Press
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
