SAN FRANCISCO New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck predicted the NFC championship game would be a bloodbath. </p><p>It was. And more.</p><p>There was blood, mud, rain, wind and two game-changing miscues on punt returns by San Francisco&#x92;s Kyle Williams that allowed the New York Giants to emerge from the muck and win 20-17 in overtime on Sunday night and advance to Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots.</p><p>The Giants and Patriots will meet in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, replicating the Super Bowl following the 2007 season when New York spoiled New England&#x92;s bid for a perfect season. The Giants beat the Patriots 24-20 in Foxborough, Mass., during the regular season.</p><p>Lawrence Tynes&#x92; 31-yard field goal with 7:06 left in overtime will go into the record books as Sunday&#x92;s game-winning points. But it was the two botched punt returns by Williams, who was playing in place of injured Ted Ginn Jr., that will be imprinted in the memories of the 49ers and their 69,732 rain-soaked fans at Candlestick Park.</p><p>Williams, who had handled only two punts all season, fumbled Steve Weatherford&#x92;s punt in overtime when hit by the Giants&#x92; Jacquian Williams, and Devin Thomas recovered at the 24. That put Tynes in position to kick the game-winner, just as he did in OT in the NFC championship game at Green Bay four years ago after a Brett Favre interception.</p><p>&#x93;It was just one of those situations where I caught the ball, tried to head upfield, tried to make a play, and ended up for the worse,&#x94; said a crestfallen Williams. </p><p>Williams refused to blame the weather conditions for his mishaps.</p><p>&#x93;Everyone handled the weather okay,&#x94; he said. &#x93;I don&#x92;t know if that play was because of that or not, but it was just one of those situations where the guy made the play, caught me slipping and got the ball up.&#x94;</p><p>The only times the Giants scored in the second half were after the overtime fumble by Williams, and after a muffed punt by Williams in the third quarter.</p><p>The 49ers led 14-10 with 11 minutes, 17 seconds left in the game when a punt by Weatherford struck the muddy turf and glanced off Williams&#x92; knee. Thomas scooped up the ball and ran with it into the end zone, but the whistle had blown, killing the play. </p><p>Giants coach Tom Coughlin challenged the call, and the ruling on the field was reversed, giving New York the ball at the San Francisco 29. </p><p>The Giants appeared to be mired in the mud again, facing third and 15 at the San Francisco 17 when Manning hit Mario Manningham between two defenders on a post pattern for a 17-14 lead.</p><p>The fumbles by Williams were a stunning development for the 49ers, who tied an NFL record by turning the ball over just 10 times all season and led the NFL with a plus-28 turnover margin.</p><p>Williams, who was born in nearby San Jose, returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the 45, giving the 49ers sufficient field position to set up David Akers&#x92; game-tying, 25-yard field goal with 5:40 left in regulation.</p><p>San Francisco failed to convert their first 12 third-down attempts in the defense-dominated game in which Manning was sacked six times and 49ers quarterback Alex Smith was sacked three times. The 49ers finally converted a third down on the final play of regulation when Smith hit former Central Missouri State tight end Delanie Walker for 29 yards as time expired.</p><p>Then came overtime, the second overtime game of the 2011 postseason.</p><p>&#x93;Just a classic football game that seemed like no one was going to put themselves in position, but we were able to do that at the end,&#x94; Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. &#x93;Both defenses played superbly. It was very difficult to muster any consistently offensively. </p><p>49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who has been a terror in the pos-season, caught a pair of touchdown passes for the second straight playoff game. He gave the 49ers a 14-10 lead with 5:18 left in the third quarter by slipping between two defenders on a corner route and collecting a 28-yard touchdown pass from Smith.</p><p>Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz put on a dazzling display of receiving in the first half as New York took a 10-7 lead on Tynes&#x92; 31-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the second quarter.</p><p>Cruz caught four passes for 56 yards on the drive, giving him 125 yards for the half.</p><p>The 49ers struck first when Smith hit a streaking Davis down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. Davis got behind Giants cornerback Antrel Rolle, caught the ball at the New York 43 and tightroped the sideline so closely the play was reviewed for several minutes to make sure his foot, which was over the sideline, did not touch the chalk. </p><p>New York tied it early in the second quarter when Manning hit seldom-targeted tight end Bear Pascoe with a 6-yard touchdown flip. Pascoe had caught 12 passes all season, and this was his first touchdown.