San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick had the biggest win of his career at the Georgia Dome.
A late non-call on a pass interference notwithstanding, he led the 49ers from a 17-0 deficit to post a 28-24 victory over the Falcons in the NFC Championship game on Jan. 20, 2013.
The 49ers went on to lose to Baltimore in the Super Bowl and their descent to the bottom of the league has been swift and steady after they went 12-4 in 2013.
Kaepernick, now known more for his stand against social and racial injustices, never developed into a proficient passer and appears to be latest running quarterback headed to the NFL’s honorary Vince Young scrap heap.
Kaepernick has completed 131 of 239 passes (54.4 percent) for 1,577 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions while going 0-8 as a starter.
“They are mainly a shotgun (team),” Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith said. “They run some pistol when the back is behind him and they do some off-set.”
Kaepernick is the 49ers’ second-leading rusher with 416 yards on 55 carries (7.6 per carry) and one touchdown.
“He’s a run threat, which we all know that,” Smith said. “He’s having a great year so far in the games that he’s played. I think he’s averaging just over 7 yards a crack every time that he touches the ball.”
The Falcons clearly don’t respect Kaepernick’s passing ability.
“He can make guys miss, so anytime you have a quarterback that can extend plays, not just on first and second down, but has the speed on third down to extend them, that’s a factor,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
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