Kaepernick, 49ers Lambeau Leap their way past Green Bay, Prepare for Panthers.

Not even the frigid temperatures of Lambeau Field's frozen tundra could cool down Colin Kaepernick and the red-hot San Francisco 49ers. Winners of six straight, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers inched a bit closer to a third consecutive Conference Championship on Sunday after marching into Green Bay to face the NFC North's best in a rematch of last year's NFC Division round meeting. With temperatures in the single-digits (4 degrees) and wind chills that made it feel like -14 in the seventh coldest game in NFL history, very few gave San Francisco a chance heading into Sunday's game mainly due to the elements that awaited them. But little did they know the 49ers had a bad weather quarterback all along. With Packers head coach Mike McCarthy unable to solve the duel-threat Kaepernick in his first two tries, he had his fingers crossed hoping the third time would be a charm. Instead he would be left shaking his head once again.

Having established career-high's in both passing and rushing against the Green Bay Packers in his first two games facing them, Kaepernick continued his dominance against the team he grew up rooting for by beating them for the third time in as many tries. With the first two wins coming at home in Candlestick Park, the Wisconsin native completed the trifecta by beating the Packers on the road in the iconic Lambeau Field, the stadium he grew up hoping to one day call home. With a majority of the damage being done by foot in last year's NFC Division round triumph which saw Kaepernick rush for a QB record 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the 49ers QB switched things up in the season-opener this year by putting on an aerial assault and throwing for 412 yards and a trio of TD's. Kaepernick would do a little bit of both on Sunday, throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another 98 despite the freezing temperatures to once again overcome the Packers and send his team deeper into the playoffs. What may be most impressive is that he didn't need gloves or long sleeves to get the job done.

In a game that saw five lead changes, both teams would exchange punches in the fourth quarter before eventually being decided in the final seconds. San Francisco jumped out to an early lead and would be in control on both sides of the ball throughout the opening-quarter. After forcing a three and out on each of Green Bay's first three possessions to open the game, Kaepernick would orchestrate drives of 13 and 11 plays on offense while mostly feeding wide-out Michael Crabtree but would be held to a field goal both times. It wouldn't be until the start of the second quarter when Green Bay would finally get a whiff of their first first down of the game. With the 49er offense on the Green Bay 29 yard line and once again marching down the field with ease, Kaepernick would make one of his only mistakes on the day when he lofted a pass along the right sideline intended for Vernon Davis that was picked-off and brought back 17 yards by Tramon Williams. Like a flip of the switch, the turnover would breathe life into the Packers offense who up to that point had fewer yards than Williams gained on his interception return.

Suddenly Green Bay was able to move the ball on offense as quarterback Aaron Rodgers was finally able to connect for his first completion in the game. The drive that saw 14 plays would last over seven minutes before being capped off by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, just out of the reach of San Francisco defender Tremaine Brock, giving Green Bay a 7-6 lead. The 49ers would waste little time before answering back with a score of their own, however, as Kaepernick found an opening for a 42 yard gain before being brought down. Two plays later, running back Frank Gore would put his team back on top with a 10 yard touchdown run up the gut. Trailing 13-7, the Packers would pull within three by adding a Mason Crosby field goal at the end of the half. With nothing to show for from either team in the third quarter, Green Bay would strike first in the second half as fullback John Kuhn plowed into the end zone from a yard out to give the Packers the 17-13 advantage.

But like Kuhn's failed Lambeau leap attempt, Green Bay's lead wouldn't hold for long. Colin Kaepernick would need only 4 plays and a minute 45 to recapture the lead as he found tight-end Vernon Davis for the first time all game with a 28 yard touchdown pass that split two Packer defenders. Green Bay would answer with another field goal to tie it but would make the mistake of leaving too much time on the clock for the 49ers. With just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kaepernick would demonstrate the patience of a veteran quarterback by making numerous plays in the clutch all while managing the clock, allowing second after precious second to tick away and giving only his team the chance of winning it in regulation. San Francisco would get a scare from their QB late in the game, however, when Kaepernick flung a pass intended for Boldin that was nearly intercepted with 4:14 left in the game. Though it wouldn't prove to be costly, it would be the final mistake of the game for Kaepernick who several plays later would make arguably the biggest play of the game.

Facing 3rd and 8 with 1:17 remaining, the 49ers were in need of another ten yards if they had plans of giving Phil Dawson a try at a go-ahead field goal attempt. Kaepernick faked a pass and broke free for an 11-yard pickup to get the first down. Frank Gore who finished the game with 66 yards rushing, would add another 12 yards on four straight carries to set up Dawson for the game-winning field goal. And from 33 yards out, Dawson would split the uprights and send his team on to the second round with the 23-20 win. Michael Crabtree would lead all receivers with 125 yards on 8 receptions in his best game back since severely tearing his Achilles tendon back in April. The 49er defense held Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in check for the most part, holding him to just 177 yards passing and one touchdown on 17 of 26 pass attempts. Similar to Rodgers who grew up a die-hard 49ers fan and has said in the past that he gets an extra jolt when playing against his favorite childhood team who passed on him in the 2005 NFL Draft, it seems Kaepernick also gets a bit of added motivation when playing against the Packers. In his three career starts against Green Bay, Kaepernick has averaged 300.7 yards passing as well as 100.3 yards rushing while logging a passer rating of 101.2.

NFC Division Round Preview: With a date against the (12-4) Carolina Panthers scheduled in the NFC Divisional round, the 49ers will try to continue their recent dominance on the road where they've won four straight and seven in a row overall. But by no means will San Francisco have an easy task on Sunday when they take their league-best 7-2 road record with them to Carolina where they'll visit the Panthers who were 7-1 on the season at home. Sunday's meeting will also be a week 10 rematch that featured little offense and plenty of defense. In the first meeting, the 49ers were kept out of the end zone for only the second time all year and witnessed a 9-0 first half lead evaporate in what ended up being a 10-9 loss at home. After allowing 10-unanswered points, Colin Kaepernick tried leading his team down the field to win it late on a last ditch effort but would eventually be picked off by the swarming Carolina defense which sealed the victory against a shorthanded 49ers team who was missing three of its key cogs. 

Kaepernick would log a career-low 91 yards passing in that contest but was without both Michael Crabtree who was still recovering from a torn Achilles and Vernon Davis who left the game early with a concussion. Both of whom have been producing of late and plan to make all the difference the second time around. Also absent in the Week 10 meeting was Pro Bowl DE Aldon Smith who finished Sunday's win in Green Bay with 1.5 sacks. Although it's expected to be another hard fought game highlighted by defense, I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing more than just 19-points scored in this one. Look for both Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton to try and get things done with their feet the second time around as the big plays through the air will likely be at a minimum. Also worth noting is that their 1-point loss to Carolina in Week 10 was immediately following San Francisco's BYE week. We should be able to tell early in the game if the BYE served as a positive or a negative for a Panthers squad that has little to no playoff experience.


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