San Francisco has one of the league's top-rated defenses, though in the final minutes against the Saints, the Niners resembled one of those high-powered, ultra-caffeinated offenses that had captivated the 2011 NFL. The back-and-forth flurry ended with nine seconds left, when former Niner pariah Vernon Davis caught a winning touchdown and ran into Harbaugh's arms, overcome.

WSJ: It's Down to the NFL's Final Four