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ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The San Francisco 49ers doubled their overtime pleasure at the expense of the Atlanta Falcons. Terrell Owens recorded his third touchdown reception 8:44 into overtime to cap a nine-catch, 183-yard performance as the 49ers posted a 37-31 come-from-behind victory over their NFC West rivals. Jeff Garcia threw for 332 yards, completing 27-of-41 passes with three touchdowns for the 49ers, who recorded their first 4-1 start since winning six of their first seven contests in 1998. In the overtime, Garcia pump-faked Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan and hit Owens in stride along the right sideline for the winning 52-yard TD. "We beat them on a similar play in the first game to J.J. (Stokes) on a slant-and-go," said Garcia, who tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to the receiver during their comeback win over the Falcons on September 9. "We run so many slants, the corners start to bite on those kind of things. Buchanan bit on the slant and T.O. broke wide open." Garcia continued his mastery of the Falcons (2-3). In his last four outings against Atlanta, he has completed 62.2 percent of his passes (92-of-148) for 1,130 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Rookie Jose Cortez kicked a 24-yard field goal in overtime as the 49ers battled back from a 10-point deficit for a 16-13 win in the season opener for both teams. With 2:22 remaining in Sunday's fourth quarter, the Falcons seemed set to avenge their defeat in the game at 3Com Park. Chris Chandler found receiver Brian Finneran, who ran around cornerback Anthony Parker and sprinted down the left sideline for a 47-yard touchdown, the first of his career. The ensuing two-point conversion gave Atlanta a 31-24 advantage. "We had our opportunities and we just didn't get it done on offense or defense," Falcons coach Dan Reeves said. "We just came up short. It is frustrating because the game was well in hand. We let them back in it." However, Garcia threw a 17-yard TD pass to Owens with 17 seconds left in regulation, completing a 10-play, 72-yard-drive in just 2:05 and knotting the contest, 31-31. "Whoa, what an effort," 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. "We have been around some crazy efforts before, but that one takes the cake." The Niners appeared headed for victory on their first possesion of the extra session. Having scrambled for 25 yards to the Atlanta 16 two plays earlier, Garcia fumbled the exchange with backup center Dave Fiore for the third time and defensive tackle Travis Hall recovered. The fourth-year offensive lineman struggled in relief of Jeremy Newberry, who did not play due to an ankle injury. But after an eight-yard completion to fullback Bob Christian, Maurice Smith was stopped by defensive backs Zack Bronson and Jason Webster on two short-yardage efforts, forcing Atlanta to punt with 10:02 left in overtime. Fullback Fred Beasley fought for a yard to earn San Francisco a first down at its own 43. Following two short completions to tight end Eric Johnson, Garcia connected with his big play receiver to secure the win. "I'm very satisfied as long as we win," Owens said. "Once I get my hands on the ball, anything can happen. Jeff just tries to get into position to let me make some plays and he hung in there a lot to get the ball off." Continuing life without star running back Jamal Anderson, who will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the Falcons offense got off to a fast start. They marched 81 and 92 yards on their opening two drives. Chandler finished off the first by hitting Christian with a five-yard TD pass and Smith ran around right end for three-yard TD run to cap the second as Atlanta took 14-0 lead with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Garcia ran up the middle for a seven-yard touchdown to halve the 49ers deficit. In addition to his second 300-plus yard passing performance against Atlanta this season, Garcia gained 70 yards on 14 carries. "I was able to use my legs to get the chains moving a little bit," Garcia said. It was just a matter of picking the right time to take a shot down the field." With Chandler throwing a combined six incomplete passes to receiver Shawn Jefferson on the Falcons final two drives of the first half, Jay Feely converted field goals from 39 and 50 yards away to extend their halftime cushion to 20-7. "It was an emotional rollercoaster. It is a tough loss," said Jefferson, who had six catches for 74 yards. "We have a good team. We can still do all the things we wanted to for this season. We just have to hold tight." The San Francisco defense allowed just 27 yards on 11 carries after the interval to help stall the Atlanta offense. "This was a tale of two halves," Mariucci said. "We couldn't get anything going (in the first half). At halftime, I simply asked the team to start over. I can't explain our slow start. We did it against them last time and they jumped on us and got a lead."
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