I'm surprised at the overwhelming consensus for a Niners victory. While I think the 49ers are an overall better team, I'd be inclined to call this a toss up. Factors:
-Matt Ryan's Falcons have been almost as good as Tom Brady's Patriots at home during the last five years. Although you can say they're 1-2 in the playoffs, I'd counter: tiny sample size.
-If you look at the 49ers away stats this year, it shows an entirely different team. They were actually outscored in their eight road games. We remember the great game they brought to Foxborough, but that wasn't the norm.
-The Niners have also yet to win three consecutive games all season. They've gone W-W-L (or W-W-T) all year. I'm not betting on a trend off W-W-L, but I'm illustrating that this team is not very consistent and seems unable to string a lot of solid games together. It shouldn't be surprising if we don't see the powerhouse we saw last week.
-I realize that I'm harping on the home/road factor, but I think it's importance is understated. For a second year quarterback, playing great at home is quite different than going to a hostile environment and doing the same. Kaepernick will have to deal with crowd noise, home momentum, and a lot more pressure in the Georgia Dome.
