****** Unofficial NFCCG matchup thread: 49ers at Falcons ******

[Deus Irae]

Have at it....

 

[PatsDeb]

I wish Atlanta would win (selfishly because if we win this weekend and make the SB, I think we have a better chance of beating Atlanta), but I don't see them beating SF. SF can play suffocating D and their O has been on fire. I'd be surprised if SF doesn't bury Atlanta like they buried Green Bay.

 

[OMGWTFJUDD]

If this was anywhere but the Georgia Dome would Atlanta be given any chance?

Can't see them winning, but I didn't think they'd beat Seattle.

 

[PatsDeb]

If this was anywhere but the Georgia Dome would Atlanta be given any chance?

Can't see them winning, but I didn't think they'd beat Seattle.

They did, but just barely...

 

[ausbacker]

If this was anywhere but the Georgia Dome would Atlanta be given any chance?

Can't see them winning, but I didn't think they'd beat Seattle.

Atlanta also put up 30 points on a Seahawks team that was surrendering only 15.3PPG during the regular season, better than the 49ers.

I expect the 49ers to win because they appear to be the more balanced of the two sides. The great thing about the playoffs is they have a way of throwing up the unexpected. With the monkey off their back it wouldn't surprise me to see Atlanta win, but I'm not confident they can or will.

 

[josh24]

I just don't see Matt Ryan winning in consecutive playoff games. No idea what happened to Seattle defense yesterday (Sherman ); the Falcons ran all over them. SF has one of most disciplined LB and S corps; I don't think Turner & Rodgers will have the same success. On the other hand, whoever gets Carlos Rogers (Roddy or Julio) might have a great game. Kaep won't have 170+ rushing yds again, just as the Falcons' run offense won't be that effective.
SF by 10.

 

[DocHoliday]

The Falcons are severely underrated. That D is good and they have a smart coaching staff. If only they had some balls on their defensive play calling.

I fully expect them to dust off their tape of our wins against Tebow and implement.

SOMEONE will figure out Kaepernick.

Not only that, but White and Jones are gonna stretch that D.

 

[Haterproof]

This is going to be a very interesting game! I definitely can see Atlanta winning this game.Kaepernick did have a monster game last week. Who was it against again? The Greenbay Packers. Atlanta's D is a whole lot better than Greenbay's. Defensively their gameplan shouldn't be any different than is was against Russel Wilson. Wilson & Kaepernick are mirror images of each other.The Falcons did a great job of containing Wilson in the 1st half of their game on Sunday. They got very conservative in the 2nd half. I know Abraham went out in the 1st half. Does anyone knows his staus for the next week? I'm assuming he's going to play because he was on the sideline in the second half. He's has to play in order for Atlanta to have a chance @ stopping or slowing down Kaepernick. I also can't understand why the Falcons are 4 point underdogs in their house. They should definitely have a huge chip on their shoulders next week. This game is going to be won or loss by Atlanta's Defense. If they can play an entire 4 quarters like they did in the 1st half against Seattle,I like their chances.

 

[patsfan-1982]

i think the 49ers will win but i could see the falcones takeing this one i dont think there has ever been a rookie QB that started a SB..if we are talking about who i want the pats to face if they get to the big dance its the 49ers #1 there defense has not been the same since the second half of the game vs the pats and BB is great at game planing vs a team he has played befor and the pats gap control defense is built to stop running QB's

as for the falcones i dont want to see them because there the team with a QB that has passed for over 4700 yards and has 8 come back wins this year we all know thats the pats weakness over the last few year a passing team that can keep it close and pull off a win in the last few sec

 

[Hawks]

CK is no rookie, and he's seemed to improve as the year has gone on. When he threw that pick-6 against GB, I saw a young man who was not too down on himself, and as soon as he got back out there he marched them down field and tied the game at 7.

He's played @ STL, @ NO, @ NE, and @ SEA in his 8 starts. That's quite a bit of experience in tough road environments. I think he'll play well in ATL.


The key to the both teams will be their O-line play. Will the 49rs be able to run at will like they did against the Packers? Will ATL be able to protect Ryan long enough for his receivers to get open?

And turnovers. CK threw an int, and Ryan threw 2. Ryan can't do that again and expect to win. It's extremely tough for a team to be -2 in turnovers and still win a game.

 

[Deus Irae]

Wilson and Newton were both able to run pretty much at will when they played Atlanta, so I'd expect the Falcons to take a long, hard look at how they're spying the running QBs. It's got to change.

 

[naF staP]

Kaepernick is going to have another monster running day vs the Falcons, probably not as big as the Packers game and not 178 untouched rushing yards but he will be over 125 yards rushing. The rest takes care of itself. 49'ers D will be all over Matt Ryan, 2 int's, and will shut down any run game. I really wish I was wrong here but the 49'ers will blow them out! by 17+ points.

 

[Kontradiction]

I just don't see how the Falcons are going to be able to pull this one out, short of a miracle. SF is capable of shutting down their outside threats, one without any safety help. They're also capable of handling Gonzalez and their RB's out of the backfield. Atlanta doesn't look capable of successfully shutting down Kaepernick and Gore in the running game and I don't see a good match-up with Vernon Davis on the defensive side of the ball. I think the Falcons are going to get rolled.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I'm in the minority but I predict a close one here, and I'm not so sure ATL is a much better matchup for us IF we get past Bmore. SF's defense lately has been unreliable. In the past 4 games they've held an inept AZ offense to 13, but gave up 34, 42, and 31 in the other 3 games. Maybe has to do with Justin Smith not being 100%. Also matchup wise as stated before our first meeting they do not sub very often, so if our offense could stay on the field unlike last time in the first half I think we could really give them issues in the 2nd half (we still did in the first meeting). Rookie QB in a SB game, especially one that BB has seen before and is a running QB, is unlikely to stay such a deadly weapon. May end up posing less problems than a true pocket passer like Ryan.

ATL on the other hand their defense has stayed consistent throughout the year and they've got better weapons in the passing game than SF. Not as impressive on the ground but despite our improvements in the secondary, I'm alot more worried about our pass D holding up than our run D. They still get no respect because of their playoff history, but from when I've watched them they seem like a different team this year. It's ironic because before Sunday, Seattle was the team everyone was ballwashing and despite ATL beating them nobody rates them any higher because they had such difficulty in doing so. A win is a win and there's a reason ATL has been number 1 in the NFC wire to wire thus far.

It's similar to how I felt with Bmore-Denver last week, wasn't really sure who I'd rather get. Just going to root for a close, physical game.

 

[Gronkandez]

I still don't trust Matty Ice. He got bailed out after a bad pick late in last week's game. I also don't trust Atl defense since they got dominated in the 2nd half last week and have shown they can't stop running QB's. Michael Turner is on his last legs and Abraham is hurt.

Kapernick on an indoor track? Yes, please.

SF should dominate unless there are some fluke plays.

 

[Haterproof]

I'm in the minority but I predict a close one here, and I'm not so sure ATL is a much better matchup for us IF we get past Bmore. SF's defense lately has been unreliable. In the past 4 games they've held an inept AZ offense to 13, but gave up 34, 42, and 31 in the other 3 games. Maybe has to do with Justin Smith not being 100%. Also matchup wise as stated before our first meeting they do not sub very often, so if our offense could stay on the field unlike last time in the first half I think we could really give them issues in the 2nd half (we still did in the first meeting). Rookie QB in a SB game, especially one that BB has seen before and is a running QB, is unlikely to stay such a deadly weapon. May end up posing less problems than a true pocket passer like Ryan.

ATL on the other hand their defense has stayed consistent throughout the year and they've got better weapons in the passing game than SF. Not as impressive on the ground but despite our improvements in the secondary, I'm alot more worried about our pass D holding up than our run D. They still get no respect because of their playoff history, but from when I've watched them they seem like a different team this year. It's ironic because before Sunday, Seattle was the team everyone was ballwashing and despite ATL beating them nobody rates them any higher because they had such difficulty in doing so. A win is a win and there's a reason ATL has been number 1 in the NFC wire to wire thus far.

It's similar to how I felt with Bmore-Denver last week, wasn't really sure who I'd rather get. Just going to root for a close, physical game.

You might be on to something. It really doesn't matter who we play in the SB if we beat the Ravens on sunday. I still say that loss to the 49ers was the best thing that could've happened to this team. It was a blessing in disguise! Of course the 49ers have the better defense of the two. Atlanta has the better QB but weaker coach. Kaepernick is the flavor of the month right now. But I can see him cracking like a dozen of eggs on the SB Stage. Who do I want the pats to play if they advance to New Orleans? It really doesn't matter @ this point.

 

[PATRlOT]

Kaepernick is overrated. I think as long as Atlanta doesn't turn it over, they win

 

[ausbacker]

I just don't see how the Falcons are going to be able to pull this one out, short of a miracle. SF is capable of shutting down their outside threats, one without any safety help. They're also capable of handling Gonzalez and their RB's out of the backfield. Atlanta doesn't look capable of successfully shutting down Kaepernick and Gore in the running game and I don't see a good match-up with Vernon Davis on the defensive side of the ball. I think the Falcons are going to get rolled.

You were of a similar opinion last week weren't you Kontra? The 49ers are an enigma on the road. If the Falcons can get out to an early lead and force Kaepernick to throw rather than rely on his legs to create plays, this game becomes incredibly interesting.

I've picked the 49ers but it wouldn't surprise me if Atlanta won.

 

[mayoclinic]

Atlanta also put up 30 points on a Seahawks team that was surrendering only 15.3PPG during the regular season, better than the 49ers.

Seattle's D wasn't the same without Chris Clemons. Just as the addition of Aqib Talib caused a positive "domino effect" on the Pat's D, so the loss of Justin Smith and of Clemons had a negative domino effect on SF's and Seattle's defenses. In the case of Seattle, they got no effective pressure on Matt Ryan all day, plus having to start Bruce Irvin at RDE adversely effected their run defense. Atlanta wouldn't have come close to putting up 30 on Seattle with Clemons. No pressure kills any D. The 2 key Ryan completions on the last drive were both on ineffective blitz attempts, because Seattle couldn't ge any pressure at all without blitzing.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

You were of a similar opinion last week weren't you Kontra? The 49ers are an enigma on the road. If the Falcons can get out to an early lead and force Kaepernick to throw rather than rely on his legs to create plays, this game becomes incredibly interesting.

I've picked the 49ers but it wouldn't surprise me if Atlanta won.

totally agree. atlanta is a tough team at home, kind of like baltimore in that sense. we're not sure what which CK will show up - the one who is inconsistent on the road or the great one at home.