I was tied 115-115 at the beginning of the drive, after dancing between leading and losing all night. I was done, he had the Seattle D, and he had the tiebreaker if the game ended like this. 3 pts per turnover, 1 pt per sack. I listened to the first half in the car on the drive home from the airport with my father and caught the second half on TV.
I needed the 49ers to go 55 yards to cross the threshold to get me the win (-2 pts for him if they go over 275). Another -2 if they kick the FG to score 9, and -4 if they get the TD to reach 13, which was the situation on the last drive when Kaepernick threw the INT down the middle that made it a tie to begin with.
I've never been so excited during a 42-6 game. It was really, really tense. Any mistake costs me the game. A long drive would seal a narrow victory. They started driving down the field and I'm trying to explain to my dad how i win $200 if there's no turnover. That's all I really need, 55 yards that doesn't end in a turnover.
It was right at about that 1 yard sneak on 3rd down that they passed 275 total yards. I had my 2 point lead. But the Niners kept throwing, and Seattle knew they would throw it, and I kept fearing that 3 point turnover would lead to my 1 point loss. I was just saying "Just don't do anything stupid" and chanting "No Turnovers" like they'd say "No Whammies!" on Press Your Luck. The clock kept winding down, and I was on the edge of my seat. My dad started to get into it. "No turnovers!" I really just wanted the game to end right there, but I knew it couldn't.
So there were a few more plays after the 1-yard sneak, and a couple of close calls on near-sacks that almost blew my lead, and all I want is the game to stop, but then it was 4th down. This was it. Kaepernick was going to go to the end zone and everyone on the defense, everyone in the stadium knew it. A turnover and I lose, a sack or anything else and I win by at least 1. I say to my dad "It's going to be another interception in the end zone. Why not, right?" I could feel it coming. But he threw the TD. "That was so unexpected!" was all I could say. I was up by six. But then it hit me... "as long as Seattle doesn't return the kick for a TD...", which Washington almost had done earlier. If the game ended on a kick return, he'd get all six points back and I'd lose on the tiebreaker.
Then I saw the replay. The bobbled catch. I said to my dad, "Actually, it'd be better for me if they call this incomplete." Seattle would get the ball at the spot and kneel, and I'd win by 2 instead of having to sweat the kickoff. I started rooting for the replay. Thankfully I didn't need it, and unless Elias changes something during the week, I'm taking my 4th crown in 7 years 115-109.
My exuberance was simultaneously amazing and pathetic at the same time.
and I was like 
