12/07 — Where did the Jets of the five-game winning streak go? They need to make an appearance here in Candlestick park quickly. The defense stops the Niners on their opening drive of the second half, but on the punt, Ahmad Carroll is called for an illegal block in the back, starting the Jets at their 8. And three Favre passes net 9 yards and a Reggie Hodges punt.

Frank Gore, who scored the touchdown in the last minute of the first half, was carted off the field with a left ankle injury and it's announced that his return is questionable.

The Niners have fourth-and-a-foot just shy of their 44. Coach Mike Singletary purses his lips, quickly ponders his options. He decides to go for it.

And Kris Jenkins makes it easy. As the defense is lining up against the Niners' heavy package, Jenkins jumps offsides. First down the easy way.

But then San Francisco gets sloppy. Shaun Hill drops back and looks for Isaac Bruce. But he never sees David Bowens in the underneath coverage. Bowens snaps up the interception and returns it to the SF-45. Maybe this is the spark the Green & White need.

Apparently it is. The offense needs only four plays to go 45 yards to the tying touchdown. It starts with a Thomas Jones 9-yard burst, moves into the red zone on a Favre needle-threader of 15 yards to TE Chris Baker, and concludes with TJ getting off right tackle, cutting crisply back and going untouched until he hits the goal line at the end of his 17-yard run. It's 14-all with 5½ minutes left in the third.

Jones ties Curtis Martin's franchise record of 12 rushing TDs in a season set n 2004 and equals the mark of 14 total TDs in a season held by WRs Art Powell (1960) and Don Maynard (1965) and RB Emerson Boozer (1972). Congrats, TJ.

However, the Niners come right back. They get a key automatic first down when Kris Jenkins is called for defensive holding. But the Jets get a break when a touchdown pass from Hill to TE Delanie Walker is wiped out by holding on T Joe Staley.

But the Jets give back when Dwight Lowery, blitzing off the Niners' right side, misses a sack of Hill, who then completes an 11-yarder to Jason Hill to set up third-and-9. And it's Hill to a wide open Bruce for 13 yards to first-and-10 at the Jets 14 as the quarter comes to an end.

Fourth Quarter

Hill throws three passes to open the final 15 minutes but all are off the mark, either intentionally or accidentally, so Joe Nedney come's on to give the 49ers back the lead at 17-14 with a 32-yard field goal.

Leon Washington comes right back with a dazzling, weaving 99-yard kickoff return for a TD, but the play is wiped out by a holding call at the Jets 40 on James Ihedigbo. It's good that James came back from his first-half injury, but the hold is not good.

Then Chris Baker is called for a hold on the first play from scrimmage, and just like that the Jets are going backward. They're at their 20, then they're at their 18 on a 1-yard loss on a screen pass to Jones.

Then Hodges hits a line-drive punt (3.2-second hang) that Arnza Battle returns to his 49. The Jets need to suck it up, on defense now and then with another scoring drive. There's still 12:40 left on the clock, but that will loom larger and larger if the Green & White don't stop this possession.

The defense can't post that third-and-3 stop as Jerry Hill springs loose on an out, Lowery not close in coverage, for 13 yards. And the Niners move into short field goal range. Then another third-down coversion from (Shaun) Hill to (Jason) Hill, with Darrelle Revis missing the tackle, and it's first-and-goal at the 3. The Jets need a stand.

They don't get it. Shaun Hill takes a quick backpedal drop and finds Bryant Johnson loose in the end zone. The 5'11" Lowery can only swing and miss on the high throw to the 6'3" Johnson, who gathers it in for what could be a backbreaking TD. The Nedney PAT makes the score 49ers 24, Jets 14 with 6:05 to play.

You can tell the Jets are pressing. Nedney's kickoff hugs the right sideline, where Brad Smith picks it up. As he works his way up against heavy traffic, he laterals backward over Washington's head. Only Leon's calm recovery and squirminess at the goal line keeps this play from being a safety. On the other hand, the Jets offense starts out from its 1-yard line.

On second down, Favre heaves a pass downfield that goes well past Jerricho Cotchery and the Niners deep defenders. On third down he's sacked at his 8. Hodges punts, Battle fair-catches at midfield and this one is almost over as the clock heads past four mintues to play.

Washington takes a punt and tries to find room but it's hard to locate. He's shoved out of bounds at the Jets 22 with 2:28 to go. Brad Smith catches a crossing pattern for 7 yards on second down but pays when, pursued from behind by S Michael Lewis, he's crushed from in front by MLB Patrick Willis. Smith bounces up but then, returning to the huddle, drops to his knees and has to be tended to before he leaves the field on his own.

Favre keeps hope alive with a fourth-and-3 completion to TE Dustin Keller for 9 yards that takes this to the two-minute warning. The Jets have only two timeouts left and are still 62 yards away from a touchdown they need to set up the field goal they need for a fantastic finish.

Then Favre steps up, airs out for Laveranues Coles. CB Walt Harris rides Coles off of the pass and intercepts at the SF-7. But wait. Flag is down.

It's against Coles for offensive pass interference, pulling Harris down as he made the pick.

Right now there are 44 seconds left. It's all over but the triple zeroes on the clock.

Eric Allen will have the game story shortly, I'll file my locker room Radar entry when the team flight returns to New Jersey around 3 a.m., and Tim Carlson will have a feature for the morning cycle.