Ugh. The NFC Championship Game was a heavyweight defensive battle. The battle raged on into overtime.

And then . . . 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams fumbled the ball away, giving the Giants its opportunity to kick the winning field goal.

This was the same Kyle Williams who muffed a punt earlier in the game. The rest of his winter will be most unpleasant. How does a player come back from something like that?

Here is what they were saying in the Twitterverse as this drama unfolded:

Sports Pickle: “Every kid grows up dreaming of throwing a game-winning TD. Or, if they're really, really small, they dream of kicking a game-winning FG.”

Gregg Doyel: “Kyle Williams, meet Billy Cundiff. Billy? Kyle.”

Sports Pickle: “Maybe Cundiff should return kicks and Kyle Williams should kick. Worth a try.”

Jason McIntyre: “Bigger goat? Kyle Williams or Billy Cundiff? Going to be a tough Monday/Tuesday for those chumps.”

Jeff Schultz: “New version of Clue game: Kyle Williams, not Col. Mustard, killed a team in a Candlestick (Thank you. I'm here all week.)”

Bill Reiter: “Somewhere, Billy Cundiff is actually like: ‘At least I'm not that guy.’”

Gary Parrish: “I always feel awful for folks like Kyle Williams. I mean, do you ever get over that? Do people ever let you?”

Sports Pickle: “Lee Evans is only getting the bronze medal of Goatery tonight. Amazing.”

Gary Parrish: “If you could only become a pro athlete if you agreed to let a major screwup define you forever would you still do it? I say no.”

Will Carroll: “I hope Eli Manning has a deal with an analgesic company after tonight's game. He's been hit a LOT.”

Clay Travis: “New York and Boston pro teams are so undercovered. Refreshing for them to get a little attention.”

Jeff Schultz: “The Harbaugh family won't have to worry about which son to root for, unless there's a third-place game.”

The Fake ESPN: “At least the 49ers have enough ice to make snow cones to reward their players for doing their best.”

Sports Pickle: “Fun Fact: Alex Smith can skip a rock 56 times across a lake. Unintentionally.”

Gregg Doyel: “Don't mean this bad or good. Just mean this: Alex Smith has played very much like Tim Tebow today.”

Peter Schrager: “I want Frank Gore's cape/jacket/thingy in Canton. First ballot.”

Steve Rushin: “Eli Manning looks like a kid in a Tide commercial.”

Darren Rovell: “Hey Buffalo Wild Wings, stop it. Let's get a winner.”

Sports Pickle: “Whoever gets the ball first should totally do that 80-yard touchdown pass play that Denver ran.”

Adam Kramer: “And now, a short film by Ed Hochuli titled ‘The Coin Flip.’”

Eric Stangel: “Ed Hochuli, what happens if no one gets to score because you're still explaining the rules??”

Jeff Passan: “I hope in his day job as a lawyer Ed Hochuli doesn't bill by the word.”

Clay Travis: “They're going to need smelling salts for Eli Manning and Alex Smith before OT. Destruction out there.”

Trey Wingo: “Patrick Willis, human anvil.”

Chris Mortensen: “Tom Brady may lose some sleep watching both of these defensive fronts. #realdeal.”

The Fake ESPN: “Eli never looked more special than in that replay of him with a shoulder pad out & chin guard over his mouth doing the timeout signal.”

Sports Pickle: “Eli Manning is the kid who always got hurt playing 2-hand touch. ‘Hey, no tackling!’ ‘I barely touched you.’

Jim Rome: “Niners' sweep game is crazy. They get to the edge and just kill people.”

Steve Young: “Giants take the lead! Now's the time for them to become reckless and cocky! #ItalianCaptainTweetsGiantsGame.”

Trey Wingo: “Eli in the 4th quarter . . . all year.”

The Fake ESPN: “Alex Smith has converted about as many 3rd downs as Tim Tebow has converted Muslims.”

Sports Pickle: “Alex Smith: tiny hands, big heart.”

Eric Stangel: “Ed Hochuli has a Bowflex under the video review hood . . .”

Sports Pickle: “Hochuli: ‘Four score and 7 years ago, our fathers ... [13 minutes later] ... Giants ball.’”

Ray Ratto: Hochuli needed extra time to write his speech

Darren Rovell: “Although it is the most common last name in the US, there has never been a starting Super Bowl QB w/the last name of Smith.”

Steve Young: “There's a player named Cruz? Somehow I'm going to be blamed if he loses. #ItalianCaptainTweetsGiantsGame.”

Ryan Clark: “Victor Cruz should walk in the GM's office & be absolutely silent as he hands him the tape of this game! #nothingtobesaid. Pay the man!”

Jim Rome: “Weather isn't affecting the Giants' passing game. Why would it? They're not a dome team, coming off the rug. & they owned Lambeau last week.”

Sports Pickle: “Wow. Eli hasn't been hit that hard since a fat kid jumped on him in the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.”

Gregg Doyel: “Alex Smith: 2-for-7 in first half ... 113.7 passer rating. Never seen that before.”

Darren Rovell: “Line from Victor Cruz' 2010 NFL Draft scouting report: ‘One-speed receiver who does not get separation down the field.’”

Bob Fescoe: “Jim Harbaugh’s body language sucks. He looks so entitled on the sideline and always looks like he just got screwed.”