Candlestick Park went out with a bang Monday night as NaVorro Bowman scampered down the now-retired turf for a game-sealing89-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Bowman's redemption from a botched onside kick will go down as another of the countless memorable moments in a stadium with just a bit more magic left.
But for every Dwight Clark there is an Everson Walls.
This night it was Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas who played the victim to the San Francisco 49ers' charms.
The Falcons sat on the doorstep of a come-from-behind victory to avenge last season's playoff loss and add a positive vibe to a lost year. On second-and-1 from the 10-yard line Douglas had the ball knocked from his grasp by cornerback Tramaine Brock. The ball popped up in the air where Bowman snatched it to begin his memorable gallop.
"I don't know," Douglas said when asked if he was interfered with, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I'm out there playing football. If he did, he did. If he didn't, he didn't. I thought he kind of got there at the same time (as the ball)."
Douglas was tackled on the play and recognized the result from his seat on the ground.
"I heard the crowd. That's how I pretty much knew right there," Douglas said.
The loss was particularly disappointing for retiring tight end Tony Gonzalez, who added to his Hall of Fame resume with eight catches for 63 yards and one touchdown reception.
"Yeah, it was the same old story," Gonzalez said. 'It seems like the whole year, we're fighting, clawing and scratching, trying to put ourselves in position to go out there and get it done. We just couldn't come up with a play.
"It's unfortunate. It was a hell of a comeback. We had 'em right where we wanted them."
And then Bowman snatched it and ran away.
*The latest "Around The League Podcast" broke down every Week 16 game. *
