SAN FRANCISCO – Jim Harbaugh's first words following the 49ers' first playoff win in nine seasons were for last-second heroes Alex Smith and Vernon Davis.

The second thing out of his mouth, however, was praise for his special teams. "I think those guys are just the best darn guys in the business at covering kicks," Harbaugh gushed.

He's probably right.

Led by Blake Costanzo and C.J. Spillman, the 49ers coverage teams forced Drew Brees and the Saints offense to travel long distances throughout the game, and more important, kept the ball out of Brees' hands by forcing two turnovers.

The first occurred at the end of the first quarter when Madieu Williams knocked the ball from return man Courtney Roby's grasp and Costanzo pounced on it at the New Orleans 13-yard line. The 49ers converted that into a 25-yard David Akers field goal.

In the third quarter, it was Costanzo's turn to force a fumble, which he did following an Andy Lee punt. Rookie Colin Jones recovered, and four plays later Akers struck from 41 yards.

"It's a tribute to the guys we got -- Tavares Gooden, CJ Spillman, Colin Jones," Costanzo said. "They bring so much life to it. Usually special teams get overlooked but we take it so seriously on our team. We have so many personalities on offense and defense, like I said, we just have it all on this team and we all care about each other … it shows on the field."

Brees, meanwhile, finished with 462 yards, the most the 49ers have allowed all season. But there were also long stretches where he didn't have the ball.

"They've got some of the best special teams groups in the league," Brees said. "So you combine those two (turnovers) on special teams and the three they got from us offensively, and that'll get you beat just about every time."

Highlight reel – Left tackle Joe Staley said he and teammates spent Friday night watching a video of famous sports endings. On Saturday, they made their own rendition.

"At the end of the video, it said, 'History is made in the playoffs," Staley said. "I felt like today was one of those ESPN classic games. … All the big games you remember as a kid happen in the playoffs. This will be one of those games that everyone remembers for a long, long time."

The 49ers will enjoy the extra day of rest they'll get this week. The game was both physically and emotionally draining as shown by Davis' post-touchdown tears on the 49ers sideline.

"It was awesome," Staley said of Davis' display. "I like to get emotional in football. You put so much work into it, and all of our effort. This is all we do. "

Walker's return – Tight end Delanie Walker said he is scheduled to have the wiring in his jaw removed Monday and his hope is that he will be able to take part in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.

Walker broke his jaw in two places on Dec. 24 and hasn't practiced since. Justin Peelle filled in Saturday. He caught one pass for four yards.

Injuries – Center Jonathan Goodwin and receiver Ted Ginn both briefly left Saturday's game but were able to return. Ginn seemed to exacerbate the ankle injury that kept him out of the last two regular-season contests, then suffered a knee injury later in the game.

Goodwin had to be helped off the field in the first half but was walking without a limp after the game.

REPORT CARD

• Offense: The group was feeble and ineffective during long stretches. But as was the case during the regular season, when Alex Smith and Co. needed to step up, they did. Vernon Davis' 180 receiving yards are the most ever by a tight end in the postseason. Grade: A-

• Defense: The defense forced three Saints turnovers, and Justin Smith played ferociously. But the takeaways were overshadowed by a consistent problem this season – allowing short and intermediate throws to turn into huge pass plays. Grade: B-

• Special teams: Is there a better unit in the league? Drew Brees had to go the length of the field all afternoon, and the unit forced two fumbles. David Akers converted all three-field goal attempts. Grade: A+

• Overall: The 49ers beat the hottest team in the NFL in a game that will be remembered for a long time. In the short term, they also got a head start to heal and to game-plan for next week's opponent. Win that, and the 49ers are in the Super Bowl. Grade: A

– Matthew Barrows

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