49ers, Kaepernick Run all over Green Bay to Advance to NFC Title Game

For the second straight year the San Francisco 49ers are heading to the NFC Championship and are once again one win away from their sixth Super Bowl appearance. What started off as an early scare for the 49ers and their fans alike, soon turned into the Colin Kaepenick show as the second-year QB out of Nevada turned Sunday's playoff meeting versus the Green Bay Packers into a track meet. Showing a bit of postseason jitters in his playoff debut to begin the ballgame with a number of erratic passes including a pick-six on San Francisco's opening-drive that put his team in an early hole down 7-0, Kaepernick would eventually come into his own before setting an NFL record for the most rushing yards ever by a quarterback in a single game.

Following his early mishap, Kaepernick gathered himself and answered back as if he's been starring in the league for 8 seasons rather than just 8 games in which he's started since taking over for the injured Alex Smith back in week 10. Facing a third and long situation on San Francisco's ensuing possession, Kaepernick hit his running back Frank Gore down the sideline with a lob pass for a gain of 45 yards in what would eventually be the play that would wake the QB from his slumber and help him find his groove. Three plays later Kaepernick would give the Green Bay defense a tiny dose of what they would be in store for all day long as he trotted into the end zone untouched from 20 yards out to tie the game at seven all. Equally as sluggish as Kaepernick was on the 49ers' opening-drive was the San Francisco defense which allowed back-to-back big plays to Aaron Rodgers and company, giving the lead right back. 

With special teams being a vital ingredient in the 49ers success this season, the squad made no exception on Sunday night, making a huge play on a muffed punt by the Packers' return man Jeremy Ross. After recovering the fumble inside the 10-yard line, Kaepernick capitalized on Green Bay's self-inflicted miscue by finding a wide-open Michael Crabtree who ran a slant route and split two defenders for the touchdown. Another turnover on Green Bay's ensuing possession this time in the form of an Aaron Rodgers interception would allow the 49ers to take their first lead of the evening. Already in good position near midfield thanks to the 39-yard pick-off return by Terrell Brown, Kaepernick didn't have a long way to go in order to revisit his favorite target in the end zone as he connected with Crabtree for the second time in as many possessions, this time giving San Francisco a 21-14 lead. 

But given the back and forth affair it would only be appropriate that Green Bay would respond. Leading the league in touchdown receptions this year, Packers wide-receiver James Jones continued what he's done all season long by adding a 20-yard touchdown grab to pull even. With the game tied for the third time in the first half and the two-minute warning approaching, Kaepernick had just enough time to march his team down field and put them in field goal range to give them a lead at the half. Having struggled mightily in 2012 after putting together a season for the record books in 2011, David Akers shook off the cobwebs and came through in the clutch by kicking a 36 yard field goal to give the 49ers a 24-21 lead heading into the locker room at the half. But unlike the first half which saw both teams counter one another blow for blow, the second half would be much more one-sided. 

After a Mason Crosby field goal tied the game at 24-all, the 49ers would string together three consecutive touchdown scoring drives, all of the rushing variety. While Frank Gore, Anthony Dixon and Colin Kaepernick all contributed to San Francisco scoring 21-unanswered points with big plays, none was greater than Kaepernick's quarterback-draw which he ran in from 56 yards out to give the 49ers the lead for good. Showing shades of the great Randall Cunningham who he grew up studying footage of and molding his game around, the young Kaepernick would have 181 rushing yards by the games end, setting an NFL record for the most rushing yards ever by a quarterback in a single game, shattering the previous mark of 119 yards set by Michael Vick. However, that wouldn't be the only record set in the game as the 49ers combined for a postseason franchise record 579 total yards, 323 coming on the ground. 119 of Kaepernick's 263 passing yards went to wide-out Michael Crabtree who also caught both of Kaep's touchdowns.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers would find Greg Jennings in the back of the end zone to make it a 45-31 ballgame but it would be too late as a pair of kneel downs was all it took for the 49ers to reign victorious and punch their ticket for a second NFC Championship in as many years. With the number one seeded Atlanta Falcons taking care of the Seattle Seahawks the following day by a final score of 30-28, the table is now set for the NFC title game which will take place this Sunday at Atlanta. Having already faced some of the game's most mobile QB's this season in Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and most recently Russell Wilson, the Falcons should have an idea of what to expect from Colin Kaepernick which is why I believe it'll come down to how well the 49ers QB does in the passing game. And after out-dueling the reigning MVP in Aaron Rodgers, I like Kaepernick's chances of duplicating his success against the Atlanta Falcons defense which allowed Seattle to come back from a 20-0 halftime deficit just a week ago. Expect a 27-23 win for the 49ers, sending the franchise to its first Super Bowl since the 1994 season.


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