49ers Vs. Giants, 2012 NFC Championship Game: Penalties On San Francisco Drive Lead To Punt

The second quarter of the 2012 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park opened up with the New York Giants tying the game against the San Francisco 49ers with an Eli Manning touchdown pass. The game is tied 7-7 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half.

The subsequent Niners possession opened with Kyle Williams returning the Giants kickoff to the San Francisco 23 yard line. Alex Smith launched a deep pass on first down, but overthrew Williams, who was open far downfield. On the next play, Smith scrambled away from a blitz for an eight-yard gain, setting up a third-and-short situation. Smith completed a pass to Williams for a first down, which came complete with an illegal hands to the face penalty on the Giants.

Frank Gore picked up four yards on a run following the new set of downs. Gore got the handoff again and drove hard through the defenders for a gain of eight and a new first down. There was a scuffle after the play involving San Francisco's Anthony Davis, whose helmet was ripped off by a Giants player. 49ers tight end Vernon Davis received a 15-yard personal foul penalty as a result of the skirmish. The end result was a first down at the San Francisco 32 yard line.

Gore again got the handoff for a gain of seven yards, which he followed up with yet another first down with a gain of nine yards to take the Niners to the 45. Smith threw a pass intended to Vernon Davis that was batted away. Another blitz led to another Smith scramble, which was good for five yards to take the team past midfield. On the next play, Smith was forced out of the pocket and taken down just shy of the first down. The 49ers seemed as if they were going to try for the conversion on 4th and 2, but received a delay of game penalty and punted the ball away.

For updates and analysis on these teams leading up to their matchup, visit 49ers blog Niners Nation, Giants blog Big Blue View and SB Nation New York and SB Nation Bay Area. Don't forget to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for all your playoff news.