[KuLaPhU]

Kaepernick and A.smith will play Saturday.. just watch!

[freakydave]

Kaepernick and A.smith will play Saturday.. just watch!

I don't get it?
they were both playing all along.

[19th Hole]

No disgrace in losing...but it is disgraceful not to be a man
of your word....

Packers won and this Lakerboy remains like stink on sh!t??

Don't you have milk cartons to clean behind the store??

You have zero credibility as a man.

[2daBank]

I know your on SF just want to say GL to you
Whether GB wins or loses I believe this will be the best game of this round.

thanx bro to you as well (kinda, ha)...not like im betting this gm,,just have that sf future from way back so by default i am on them..i do think this is the toughest gm of the 4 and will prob be the best (fg kicking aside, that will be awful)..think it really comes down to a question i cant answer and not sure anyone can, how effective will justin smith be? if he can be his disruptive self and occupy half of gbs oline then i think sf rolls,,if he not as effective i think it be tough for sf to stop them, not really a secret that if sf cant generate pressure rodgers will eat them up...

i do think sf is capable and will score on gb defense, and it pretty much cause of the move everyone acting like a bad thing and keapernick at qb, pack really cant focus on stopping gore as if they do kap will make them pay, which either leads to a strong run gm or big plays, id lean to making sf drive the field and hope kap makes mistakes if i was pack but that allows sf to control the tempo..

Hopefully (for me) sf can create havoc up front and be all in rodgers grill, if that the case it may not be the best gm, but hell even if that the case i think rodgers will make some plays and have a shot..if sf d cant disrupt rodgers i actually think the offense will be able to keep up and while obviously their chance diminishes i still think they could pull it out with offense...really is a tough gm, i certainly cant blame anyone that would play gb + money, pretty sure my brother is on them (he got a little fan bias also tho as his in-laws from wiscy),,id be on sf if i didnt have the future but not like id feel great about it..even the total tough as i had like a 4 point range and that bitch set dead in the center of it...

funniest thing about this gm is what you think either team rather have.. down 1 and their kicker lining up for a 43 yard fg for the win or be watching as the other team is in same spot? normally id rather be kicking but not sure here, lol...

[suicidekings]

funniest thing about this gm is what you think either team rather have.. down 1 and their kicker lining up for a 43 yard fg for the win or be watching as the other team is in same spot? normally id rather be kicking but not sure here, lol...

I feel like Crosby is going to be solid in this game. When you look at his last 6 games, I want to just throw out the Chicago game altogether where you could see the frustration getting the better of him. Other than that, he's missed 3 FGs in that span, which were 51, 53 & 55 yarders. He looked solid in the TEN & MIN(x2) games, and I think that he's regained his confidence. If I was McCarthy, I would not be afraid to put him on the field.

In that same span, Akers had two kicks blocked, and missed two long ones as well, with the OT miss being the biggest problem. For the most part, I think his problems have largely been worked out. However, that said, he's had two weeks off to think about the 2 missed FGs in their last game, so it's possible that it's weighing on him (as the blocked kicks might be).

Both of these guys are pros, and I think the wind could be a bigger factor than the baggage either is bringing into the game. Candlestick can be a real bitch for kickers...

[Big Bear]

No disgrace in losing...but it is disgraceful not to be a man
of your word....

Packers won and this Lakerboy remains like stink on sh!t??

Don't you have milk cartons to clean behind the store??

You have zero credibility as a man.

let it go pal. LB has received a fair amount of criticism about the guarantee... lets see how his picks go moving forward.

[slacker00]

I feel like Crosby is going to be solid in this game. When you look at his last 6 games, I want to just throw out the Chicago game altogether where you could see the frustration getting the better of him. Other than that, he's missed 3 FGs in that span, which were 51, 53 & 55 yarders. He looked solid in the TEN & MIN(x2) games, and I think that he's regained his confidence. If I was McCarthy, I would not be afraid to put him on the field.

In that same span, Akers had two kicks blocked, and missed two long ones as well, with the OT miss being the biggest problem. For the most part, I think his problems have largely been worked out. However, that said, he's had two weeks off to think about the 2 missed FGs in their last game, so it's possible that it's weighing on him (as the blocked kicks might be).

Both of these guys are pros, and I think the wind could be a bigger factor than the baggage either is bringing into the game. Candlestick can be a real bitch for kickers...

Solid? Do you actually watch these games, or just study stats?

[brizo42]

Gotta agree with this. Packers have no offensive line and with no running game, SF can just pin their ears back.

[Big Bear]

Gotta agree with this. Packers have no offensive line and with no running game, SF can just pin their ears back.

i know right. and aaron rodgers is not that big of a guy.

if i were him i would go ahead and start popping pain killers these niggaz gonna rough him up

[Mr Handicapable]

Gotta agree with this. Packers have no offensive line and with no running game, SF can just pin their ears back.

GB is a pretty good screen pass team + Jennings/Nelson/Cobb/Jones/Finley all healthy....or healthy enough to play anyway. Finley is even catching the ball for a change. GB just needs to run for 70-80 yds....SF needs to run for prob close to 200 or more to win. Prob best game of the weekend.....shouldn't be a big play for anyone imo. Look at SFs playoff games last year (NO & NYG)...both squeakers.

[slacker00]

GB is a pretty good screen pass team + Jennings/Nelson/Cobb/Jones/Finley all healthy....or healthy enough to play anyway. Finley is even catching the ball for a change. GB just needs to run for 70-80 yds....SF needs to run for prob close to 200 or more to win. Prob best game of the weekend.....shouldn't be a big play for anyone imo. Look at SFs playoff games last year (NO & NYG)...both squeakers.

Finley, Cobb, Nelson are all listed as Questionable. Nelson and Cobb didn't practice Weds, LP Thurs.

Asking GB for 70-80 rush yards is a dream. They only had 45 yards week 1 when they actually had healthy RBs and their o-line was still intact. Now they are on their fifth RB this year (DuJuan Harris) after Benson, Green, Starks, Grant all fell aside one way or another. GB will be lucky to have 30 yards rushing, they might as well not try to run the ball and go 5 wide all game instead, which they might have to do anyway if they get too far behind.

[freakydave]

thanx bro to you as well (kinda, ha)...not like im betting this gm,,just have that sf future from way back so by default i am on them..i do think this is the toughest gm of the 4 and will prob be the best (fg kicking aside, that will be awful)..think it really comes down to a question i cant answer and not sure anyone can, how effective will justin smith be? if he can be his disruptive self and occupy half of gbs oline then i think sf rolls,,if he not as effective i think it be tough for sf to stop them, not really a secret that if sf cant generate pressure rodgers will eat them up...

i do think sf is capable and will score on gb defense, and it pretty much cause of the move everyone acting like a bad thing and keapernick at qb, pack really cant focus on stopping gore as if they do kap will make them pay, which either leads to a strong run gm or big plays, id lean to making sf drive the field and hope kap makes mistakes if i was pack but that allows sf to control the tempo..

Hopefully (for me) sf can create havoc up front and be all in rodgers grill, if that the case it may not be the best gm, but hell even if that the case i think rodgers will make some plays and have a shot..if sf d cant disrupt rodgers i actually think the offense will be able to keep up and while obviously their chance diminishes i still think they could pull it out with offense...really is a tough gm, i certainly cant blame anyone that would play gb + money, pretty sure my brother is on them (he got a little fan bias also tho as his in-laws from wiscy),,id be on sf if i didnt have the future but not like id feel great about it..even the total tough as i had like a 4 point range and that bitch set dead in the center of it...

funniest thing about this gm is what you think either team rather have.. down 1 and their kicker lining up for a 43 yard fg for the win or be watching as the other team is in same spot? normally id rather be kicking but not sure here, lol...

Yup -if they can't control the one armed man it's gonna be rough & I have GB futures at 7 to 1 after they beat Minny in the playoffs.
GB should take a page out of the NE playbook & try to get as many plays as possible off on offence to try & wear the D down even if GB loses they could do SF's next opponent a big favor by wearing them down.

[JR007]

What's your moneyline "rabbit out of the hat" this playoff LB ???

[Big Bear]

Question to you guys who have ever had one of those shots that take pain away.....

Isnt it possible that Justin Smith use his hurt arm if he he is drugged up enough to block out the pain???

just curious

[JR007]

Cortisone, great for pain, if that's what they still give ......anti inflammatory

[Stevedore]

Finley, Cobb, Nelson are all listed as Questionable. Nelson and Cobb didn't practice Weds, LP Thurs.

Asking GB for 70-80 rush yards is a dream. They only had 45 yards week 1 when they actually had healthy RBs and their o-line was still intact. Now they are on their fifth RB this year (DuJuan Harris) after Benson, Green, Starks, Grant all fell aside one way or another. GB will be lucky to have 30 yards rushing, they might as well not try to run the ball and go 5 wide all game instead, which they might have to do anyway if they get too far behind.

You seriously need to quit while you're behind, the only guy out for GB is Boykin & Worthy. Cobb & Nelson are probable.

[Big Bear]

i actual think the Packers are one of the best teams in the NFL and if a miracle happens and they somehow win this game i think they win the super bowl.

However of all the teams in the NFL this is the worst possible match up for the Packers.

there is not a team out there any better suited to beat the Packers.

[slacker00]

You seriously need to quit while you're behind, the only guy out for GB is Boykin & Worthy. Cobb & Nelson are probable.

You love ESPN, right? They still have Nelson as questionable, but I'm sure "questionable" suits up in the playoffs.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/injuries/_/te...en-bay-packers

[Big Bear]

What i mean is if you want any chance to beat the Packers and stop their offense you MUST have a dominating pass rush.

if you give aaron rodgers time he will pick you apart.

The Falcons and Patriots dont have the the pass rush to stop rodgers the seahawks, ravens , and texans cant score enough to beat the Packers.

The only other team besides the 49ers that generate enough pressure on Rodgers and put up enough points is the Broncos.

However the 49ers have the most balanced offense in the NFL... they can beat you so many different ways on offense and now they have a QB who is a threat to break off for a 60 yard TD run him self.

There is no way the Packers can stop Gore and if they too many in the box trying to stop Gore ...

you best believe Moss , Crabtree, and Vernon Davis gonna be wide open if any of them have 1 on 1 coverage on them.

[slacker00]

What i mean is if you want any chance to beat the Packers and stop their offense you MUST have a dominating pass rush.

if you give aaron rodgers time he will pick you apart.

The Falcons and Patriots dont have the the pass rush to stop rodgers the seahawks, ravens , and texans cant score enough to beat the Packers.

The only other team besides the 49ers that generate enough pressure on Rodgers and put up enough points is the Broncos.

However the 49ers have the most balanced offense in the NFL... they can beat you so many different ways on offense and now they have a QB who is a threat to break off for a 60 yard TD run him self.

There is no way the Packers can stop Gore and if they too many in the box trying to stop Gore ...

you best believe Moss , Crabtree, and Vernon Davis gonna be wide open if any of them have 1 on 1 coverage on them.

Hard to believe these 3 get overlooked in the discussion. Moss and Davis both had a TD week 1 against the Packers and Crabtree has been a beast all year long. I expect Moss in particular to have a special motivation against the Packers. But I guess it's easy for these big weapons to get overlooked on a team with guys like Gore, Kaepernick and such a great defense.

[suicidekings]

Solid? Do you actually watch these games, or just study stats?

Meaning he got the job done (even if that kick was hideous). Considering he was working on rebuilding his confidence, he'd still get a boost from the ugly win. Small victories can go a long way, moving forward. He'll be solid this week.

[suicidekings]

Hard to believe these 3 get overlooked in the discussion. Moss and Davis both had a TD week 1 against the Packers and Crabtree has been a beast all year long. I expect Moss in particular to have a special motivation against the Packers. But I guess it's easy for these big weapons to get overlooked on a team with guys like Gore, Kaepernick and such a great defense.

Davis was definitely a favourite safety valve of Alex Smith and has been targeted half as often with Kaepernick under center. I think it's less likely that he'll be a key player in this game.

[slacker00]

Meaning he got the job done (even if that kick was hideous). Considering he was working on rebuilding his confidence, he'd still get a boost from the ugly win. Small victories can go a long way, moving forward. He'll be solid this week.

He did make some in the dome in Minny, but back in GB he only attempted XPs. (Yes a 20 yd FG is basically an XP.)

Crosby's confidence is one thing, but what about McCarthy? Now he's totally managing the game around Crosby, going for it on 4th down and punting rather than trying long FGs. There's a reason why Crosby hasn't missed any lately, they're not even letting him try them anymore.

SF is a terrible place to kick and Crosby might be solid again as long as he's only doing 20 yarders like last week.

[suicidekings]

He did make some in the dome in Minny, but back in GB he only attempted XPs. (Yes a 20 yd FG is basically an XP.)

Crosby's confidence is one thing, but what about McCarthy? Now he's totally managing the game around Crosby, going for it on 4th down and punting rather than trying long FGs. There's a reason why Crosby hasn't missed any lately, they're not even letting him try them anymore.

SF is a terrible place to kick and Crosby might be solid again as long as he's only doing 20 yarders like last week.

There was no other opportunity to kick last week vs Minny other than the 20 yarder. They punted from the MIN 40, but that game was never in doubt. The week before, they went for it on 4th only once when down by 7 with 5:30 to go in the game. FG wasn't an option. The TEN game was also never in doubt, so you can't really blame McCarthy for going for it on 4th when they're up 6 scores... In the last 3 games, he's 5/5, including 40, 48, and 51 yarders.

Who do you think is more confident in their kicker right now? Harbaugh or McCarthy? The answer seems pretty obvious to me.

[slacker00]

There was no other opportunity to kick last week vs Minny other than the 20 yarder. They punted from the MIN 40, but that game was never in doubt. The week before, they went for it on 4th only once when down by 7 with 5:30 to go in the game. FG wasn't an option. The TEN game was also never in doubt, so you can't really blame McCarthy for going for it on 4th when they're up 6 scores... In the last 3 games, he's 5/5, including 40, 48, and 51 yarders.

Who do you think is more confident in their kicker right now? Harbaugh or McCarthy? The answer seems pretty obvious to me.

Last week GB went for it on 4th and 5 on the MIN 34 up 7-3 with 5:20 left 2Q. Crosby made 5 longer ones at home.

The week before, they punted from the MIN 41 down 13-0 with 10:56 left 2Q, Crosby made that one last year @MIN.

These are kicks Crosby makes in the past, but McCarthy is only going to try short kicks from now on.

[suicidekings]

Last week GB went for it on 4th and 5 on the MIN 34 up 7-3 with 5:20 left 2Q. Crosby made 5 longer ones at home.

The week before, they punted from the MIN 41 down 13-0 with 10:56 left 2Q, Crosby made that one last year @MIN.

These are kicks Crosby makes in the past, but McCarthy is only going to try short kicks from now on.

How many head coaches that are down 13-0 early in the 2Q panic and ask their kicker (ANY kicker) to attempt a 59 yard field goal? Last year's situation had them up 30-17 in the 3Q and Crosby was 13 of 13 for the year. Different situations, not comparable.

Passing on the shorter kick last week is more of a 50/50 call to me. After Minnesota's initial FG drive, Joe Webb generated 20 yards of offense on the 3 following drives. I don't think McCarthy was all that concerned about being overpowered by Minnesota's offense, and I don't think it's particularly telling that he left Rodgers on the field against a team that beat them last week.

[paco]

This game will be crazy. So many big bets on both sides.

[meader99]

What i mean is if you want any chance to beat the Packers and stop their offense you MUST have a dominating pass rush.

if you give aaron rodgers time he will pick you apart.

The Falcons and Patriots dont have the the pass rush to stop rodgers the seahawks, ravens , and texans cant score enough to beat the Packers.

The only other team besides the 49ers that generate enough pressure on Rodgers and put up enough points is the Broncos.

However the 49ers have the most balanced offense in the NFL... they can beat you so many different ways on offense and now they have a QB who is a threat to break off for a 60 yard TD run him self.

There is no way the Packers can stop Gore and if they too many in the box trying to stop Gore ...

you best believe Moss , Crabtree, and Vernon Davis gonna be wide open if any of them have 1 on 1 coverage on them.

There was no way they could stop AP either... Personally I think facing AP two weeks in a row is a perfect scenario for stopping Frank Gore. The winner of this game goes to the Super Bowl. I'm rolling with Rodgers coming home with the big chip on his shoulder, facing the team he grew up rooting for and the one that bypassed him in the draft.

[t-wizzle]

Does it matter that the number is heavily juiced? or will it have to go to 2.5 for you be down with the pack?

It's important that they won't move off the 3. The fact that they juice Green Bay -130 while remaining at 3 indicates that SF is the play.

[meader99]

It's important that they won't move off the 3. The fact that they juice Green Bay -130 while remaining at 3 indicates that SF is the play.

One of my books has +2.5 (+105)

[slacker00]

How many head coaches that are down 13-0 early in the 2Q panic and ask their kicker (ANY kicker) to attempt a 59 yard field goal? Last year's situation had them up 30-17 in the 3Q and Crosby was 13 of 13 for the year. Different situations, not comparable.

Passing on the shorter kick last week is more of a 50/50 call to me. After Minnesota's initial FG drive, Joe Webb generated 20 yards of offense on the 3 following drives. I don't think McCarthy was all that concerned about being overpowered by Minnesota's offense, and I don't think it's particularly telling that he left Rodgers on the field against a team that beat them last week.

True enough, then we agree. Crosby used to be good, now he sucks. lol

[slacker00]

There was no way they could stop AP either... Personally I think facing AP two weeks in a row is a perfect scenario for stopping Frank Gore. The winner of this game goes to the Super Bowl. I'm rolling with Rodgers coming home with the big chip on his shoulder, facing the team he grew up rooting for and the one that bypassed him in the draft.

Except SF has a lot of weapons besides Gore. Kaepernick has played great so far, Crabtree is a beast, Moss & Davis too.

[thachosen1]

I like GreenBay 1st half large!!! BOL

[meader99]

Except SF has a lot of weapons besides Gore. Kaepernick has played great so far, Crabtree is a beast, Moss & Davis too.

I think Moss has been completely under utilized, but maybe that's by design. I think Vernon Davis is a beast, BUT his numbers have dropped a lot since the change from Smith. The loss of Manningham could be big, and not a lot of folks are talking about it.

[suicidekings]

www.footballoutsiders.com/game-previews/2013/nfc-divisional-round-preview

Some key elements are outlined here that should be major factors in the game (paraphrased). Of note:

1) Frank Gore's efficiency has absolutely plummeted since Kendall Hunter's season ended, as he's being asked to shoulder more of the load and LaMichael James isn't quite up to the task of playing as the #2 in the power running schemes the Niners use.

2) Casey Hayward was the most efficient CB in the NFL this season, but he's typically only on the field in nickel coverage. If SF operates out of a 21/22 personnel grouping with Vernon Davis on the line instead of in the slot, it will keep GB in their base personnel and Hayward off the field. That puts more pressure on Crabtree to perform, but he'll likely be working against Tramon Williams, and that's a big mismatch in SF's favour.

3) GB's best shot at keeping SF off balance on defense is running 10 personnel (4 wide, 1 back) because of depth issues in the Niners secondary. The Niners don't play a lot of dime because there aren't many teams that can go 4-wide, but against the Packers receivers, SF will be forced to play dime coverage over a larger number of plays or they'll be leaving their corners on an island against Jennings/Nelson/Finley/Jones. By playing to their strengths, GB in 4-wide is forcing SF to play a sub-optimal personnel, pulling Sopoaga for Culliver in nickel, bringing in Perrish Cox in dime. Cox is not a very good player...

4) When the Niners are in nickel against 3/4 receiver sets, GB shouldn't be afraid to run the ball as that's when SF has been weakest in stopping the run. Not that the Packers will generate a lot of rushing yards, but as long as SF needs to respect it, Rodgers can gain a bit of time to work when throwing downfield.

5) Aldon Smith generates a sack or hurry on QBs on 9.1% of snaps with Justin Smith in the lineup, but has only managed 4.4% without him in the lineup. We won't know which Aldon Smith is going to show up until we know which Justin Smith will be on the field. The performance of the Packers OL will be key here as well, obviously.

Those are the key points in the article in my opinion, adding some additional perspective outside of the other matchups that have been talked to death... I'm not really sure how they all add up, but they're definitely elements that should be important in deciding the outcome.