NFC Championship Preview: 49ers @ Falcons

     Who would have thought that Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback who replaced Alex Smith, would be named victor over a more experienced Aaron Rodgers, while posting mind boggling numbers through the air and on the ground with the lights shining bright into the evening last Saturday. Sure, San Francisco's defense allowed 31 points to the Packers offense. However, Green Bay ranked fifth in points per game with 27.1, and clearly, Colin Kaepernick realized the importance of jumping ahead early in the game. San Francisco's next opponent will be the Atlanta Falcons, as Kaepernick must travel to the Georgia Dome, beat Matt Ryan, and then San Francisco will have a shot at its sixth Super Bowl title. Even as number one seed in the NFC, Atlanta has been undervalued by most analysts and football fans. Their quarterback, Matt Ryan, had not won a playoff game up until last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, so the fact that the Falcons will be battling for a spot in the Super Bowl comes as a shock. Atlanta's defense has struggled against running quarterbacks, so if Matt Ryan wishes to gain the respect he deserves, he will have to out-duel Colin Kaepernick in the NFC Championship Game.

San Francisco 49ers: Similar to future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick was an overlooked quarterback in the NFL draft, who watched as five other quarterbacks were taken before he was selected by San Francisco. After Alex Smith suffered a concussion in a Week 10 game against the Rams, Colin Kaepernick stepped in, just to lead his team down field for a equalizing field goal. From that game onwards, Colin Kaepernick consistently put up exceptional numbers, running his way into the playoffs, and earning San Francisco a first round bye as the number two seed in the playoffs. Once Green Bay beat Minnesota in the Divisional Round, Aaron Rodgers was set to play Kaepernick in one of the more highly anticipated games of the NFL season. Kaepernick's second pass of the game resulted in a Green Bay pick-six, immediately worrying those rooting for the 49ers. Clearly Kaepernick's confidence was not shaken, as he bounced back with one of the best statistical games by a quarterback in the history of the National Football League. The former Nevada quarterback went on to pass for 263 yards with two touchdowns; however, Kaepernick set an NFL record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 181 yards. His four combined touchdowns largely contributed to a San Francisco win over the Packers. Atlanta should be nervous about San Francisco's running game, where head coach Jim Harbaugh has an infinite amount of possibilities in terms of play calling. San Francisco's defense is feared by many for their insane front 7, including players such as Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, and returning defensive end Justin Smith. Constant pressure on Matt Ryan should be accounted for, similar to the pass rush seen by Seattle in the Divisional Round. The only thing against San Francisco may be the trouble surrounding wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who is being investigated in a sexual assault case. It is unclear how this team may cope with the mystery surrounding one of their best offensive weapons. If Kaepernick were to play as he did against Green Bay, Atlanta does not stand a chance.


Atlanta Falcons: The Atlanta Falcons almost blew it last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, where rookie quarterback Russell Wilson overcame a 20 point deficit early in the third quarter. Eventually, the Atlanta Falcons found themselves down 28-27 with a mere 31 seconds left in the game. "Matty Ice" somehow pulled off the impossible with two straight big completions down field. His march led to a Matt Bryant field goal in what appeared to be the end of the game. However, an extremely controversial onside kick gave Seattle amazing field position, keeping them in the game. In the end, Russell Wilson's Hail Mary pass was unsuccessful, and Matt Ryan finally won his first playoff game. Matt Ryan's performance was not perfect; in fact, far from it. Ryan threw two interceptions and was also unable to maintain a consistent lead over Seattle throughout the duration of the game. With weapon's like Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Julio Jones, Atlanta will likely rely heavily on the deep ball, and less on their ground game. The deciding factor for this team is clearly the amount of rushing yards allowed against Kaepernick in tomorrow's game. Atlanta allowed a combined 202 rushing yards to quarterback Cam Newton in the two games played against Carolina during the regular season, along with another 60 yards to Russell Wilson in the Divisional Round. Kaepernick may be the most challenging scrambler to contain within the pocket. All in all, Atlanta's defense does not match up against the talented San Francisco running game.

Bottom Line: Unless the Falcons somehow found a way to contain both Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco is bound to be playing in New Orleans this February.
49ers over Falcons 38-23

AFC Championship Preview: Ravens @ Patriots

     With 00:31 seconds left on the clock, Baltimore wide receiver Jacoby Jones waltzed into the end zone after catching a 70 yard pass from Joe Flacco, tying the game at 35 against Denver in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. The Denver coaching staff is now under scrutiny for their decision to take a knee, sending the game into overtime. One overtime was not enough, where, with less then a minute left, Peyton Manning threw his 13th interception of the season, and Baltimore went on to kick a game winning field goal in 2OT. This week, they will be preparing to play Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Brady threw for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 41-28 victory of Houston. The score does not properly show the intensity of this game. For the majority of the game, the Texans were losing to New England, but were not too far away from mounting a comeback. In the end, though, Tom Brady earned his 17th playoff victory, an NFL record, and will be battling against the Ravens for his second straight Super Bowl appearance. Be sure to comment, subscribe, or like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/thenflreport! Also, subscribe to us on YouTube, where we create monthly highlight videos for some of the most exciting NFL players!


New England Patriots: Similar to last season, the New England Patriots were dominant in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. After a slow start to 2012, the Patriots finished the season with a 12-4 record, earning the number two seed in the playoffs. Their first opponent was the Houston Texans, where Brady faced off against JJ Watt and the intimidating Houston defense. However, the Houston front 7 was no match for Tom Brady, who was sacked just once, and hit 7 times by the defensive line. Brady was able to find a groove towards the end of the game, and it is likely that the same thing will take place against Baltimore. The last time these two teams played was during the dark ages of the 2012 NFL season, where replacement referees wreaked havoc throughout the league. A controversial field goal sealed the deal for Baltimore, who despite losing for the majority of the game, managed to win 31-30 over New England. However, the loss to Baltimore came after a disappointing loss to Arizona, so clearly the Patriots had not yet reached their full potential. As the season progressed, Brady began to roll, even without his star tight end, Rob Gronkowski. Unfortunately, Gronk returned in Sunday's game against Houston, just to be taken out within the first quarter due to a a new injury to his arm, and the Patriots will be missing Gronkowski for the rest of the season. Running back Shane Vereen filled the void at wide receiver, but it is likely he will not have back to back incredible performances. Baltimore is bound to double-team Wes Welker, leaving Brady targets such as Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Lloyd, and the option of both of the Patriots running backs. New England's defense has proven to get the job done, but a lot of pressure will be on Brady to put a lot of points on the board, and without Gronkowski, it may be difficult.


Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore started off 2012 showing true potential, where the only two losses came against Philadelphia and Houston. However, the last five regular season games went poorly for Baltimore, who lost three straight games, two of which came against playoff teams. Week 16 brought the Ravens reassurance as they entered the playoffs, where Joe Flacco routed the New York Giants defense. Flacco has been under scrutiny for his inability to lead a very talented Baltimore team through the playoffs and into the Super Bowl. However, last Sunday against the Broncos proved Flacco can compete with the best of them. In a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game, the Baltimore Ravens have a chip on their shoulder, where a missed field goal lost them a spot in last year's Super Bowl. The fate of the Ravens all depends on Joe Flacco and his success with the deep ball, which proved to be the ultimate difference maker against Denver. There were two things, apart from Flacco's leadership, that can taken away from Baltimore's performance against Denver: a). Both Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis were dominant forces on the defensive side of the ball, and clearly this team is feeding off of Ray Lewis' last ounce of emotion, as he looks to retire at the end of this season b). Baltimore's special teams looked atrocious, as they allowed two touchdowns on special teams, which nearly cost them a shot at the AFC title. Tom Brady will already be putting points on the scoreboard, and if New England were to add to the lead thanks to kick returns and punt returns, Baltimore would not stand a chance. If Flacco starts off the game with two big scores, Baltimore could be looking at a trip to New Orleans. However, if his bombs were to be intercepted, those turnovers would cause a dramatic momentum shift in favor of New England.


Bottom Line: Even though New England is young and talented, this is likely Tom Brady's last shot at another Super Bowl ring. Baltimore will not be able to pull off a miracle on the road, and once again their season will come to a close at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots over Ravens 31-27

NFLR Videos: Playoff Commercial

     To go along with the Super Bowl hype, where New Orleans is now less than a month away, The NFL Report created yet another video. Today's video is a homemade commercial involving each team to be competing for the 2013 title. Please be sure to check us out on Youtube, where you can like the video, comment, and subscribe!