Falcons face tough challenge in rematch of NFC title game

But it’s really not much of a rematch at all.

The Falcons (4-10) will face the 49ers (10-4) on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” but will only be sending out 10 of the 22 players who started in the championship game, their fortunes having long turned sour in 2013.

The 49ers, on the other hand, are gearing up for another Super Bowl run.

“The dynamics of every game are different,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said on Monday. “Our season has not gone the way that we wanted it to go. They are in a very different place.”

The 49ers are on a roll, having won four straight and nine of 11.

In their 33-14 victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday, the 49ers started 9 of 11 of the offensive players who started the NFC championship game. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin has replaced Randy Moss and Adam Snyder has replaced Mike Iupati at left guard.

On defense, the 49ers will field eight of the 11 starters who played in the championship game.

The Falcons must try to overcome some obvious short-comings against the 49ers, who average 137.1 yards rushing per game, fifth best in the league. The Falcons’ run defense, leaky all season, is giving up 131.4 yards per game, which ranks 29th in the league.

On the flip side, the 49ers’ run defense is stout and the Falcons’ rushing attack is weak. The 49ers hold teams to 99.4 yards per game, which ranks ninth in the league. The Falcons are last, No. 32 in the NFL, averaging just 79.3 yards rushing per game.

“It’s going to be a great environment with that being the last (regular-season) game out there,” Falcons defensive tackle Corey Peters said. “We are looking forward to it. We always look forward to going out to the West Coast. San Francisco is a good team.”

The Falcons have been playing for pride for a while and would like to be playoff spoiler. They are also trying to gain some momentum heading into the offseason.

“There is nothing that I would like better than to ruin something for either Carolina or San Francisco,” Peters said. “That’s our focus.”

The Falcons’ defense, which started five rookies and one second-year (defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi) against Washington on Sunday, will have a difficult challenge.

“They’ve got an outstanding running game with Frank Gore,” Smith said. “Anquan Boldin is an outstanding wide receiver.”

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the 49ers’ trigger man, having smoothed out some things after a slump that saw the 49ers drop back-to-back games to Carolina and New Orleans.

“The thing that I’m most impressed (about) is how he throws the ball,” Smith said. “He’s not a running quarterback.”

In their last meeting in the NFC title game, the Falcons stormed out to 17-0 lead, but crumbled as the offense stalled and the 49ers exploited an Atlanta problem area on defense: covering tight ends. San Francisco tight ends caught seven passes for 150 yards and a touchdown.

One of them, Delanie Walker, left in free agency, but the dynamic Vernon Davis is still on board.

“He’s a burner,” Smith said. “He can really run fast.”

The Falcons offensive line will be in for a major challenge. The 49ers have 36 sacks, which ranks 15th in the league.

“They’ve got two outside linebackers who can rush the passer in Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith,” Smith said. “They both have 8 1/2 sacks. … We’re going to go out there and play against a good football team and see how we match up with the guys that we have on our roster right now.”

Etc.: Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon's knee injury doesn't appear to be serious and he is expected to return to practice this week, Smith said. Free safety Thomas DeCoud, who did not play against Washington because of a concussion, is expected to return to practice Wednesday. "Thomas will go to the next step in the (concussion) protocol," Smith said. "He will be participating in practice on Wednesday, but it will be non-contact. We are anticipating that we'll have Thomas back, barring any setbacks in practice."