Here's the preview package for the first NFC championship game played on Georgia soil:
QB corner: Matt Ryan discusses the 49ers
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is 1-3 in playoff games and has his team 60 minutes of football away from the Super Bowl.
The Falcons needed his heroics last week as he drove them into field-goal range in the final 31 seconds in a 30-28 victory over Seattle. They are now set to play in the NFC Championship game for the third time in franchise history, the first time on Georgia soil.
Here’s a brief Q&A involving Ryan and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.
Q: What do you see when you look at San Francisco’s defensive front and see all of those Pro Bowlers?
A: When you turn on the film, you see a really good defense. They are solid. They have six Pro Bowlers on defense. They are guys who are extremely talented. They play as hard and as physical as anybody in the league. They are very sound in their scheme.
Q: What challenges will their marauding safeties present?
A: Both of those guys (Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner) do a great job. They come down in the run game. They are physical against the run. They do a great job in their passing game. Both playing high safety and coming down and cutting off crossing routes. I've been very impressed. They are aggressive and have great range. They cover a lot of ground. Their scheme allows them to make plays in the secondary.
Q: How does Aldon Smith compare to Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware or any of the other edge-rushing guys you’ve face?
A: Aldon Smith is a talented player. I think he has the most sacks in the league over the last two years. He plays in tandem with Justin Smith. I think those two guys really do well with each other. They do a great job in their defensive-line stunts, in terms of creating a free rusher. The thing that is interesting about what they with Aldon is that he drops off and gets into coverage a little bit, too, and he does a great job with that. He's a versatile player.
The X-factor: San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a dual threat as a runner and passer, runs the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds.
He was last seen scooting past a perplexed Green Bay defense for an NFL-record 181 yards in the divisional round of the playoffs, and he will be the X-factor for the NFC Championship game Sunday.
In his second season, Kaepernick, who scored a 37 on the Wonderlic intelligence test, is starting to figure out some things about the NFL.
“Run where they’re not,” Kaepernick said. “You want to run away from where the defensive players are. When they get close, get down.”
The Falcons have played several read-option quarterbacks this season and have tried to punish them. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon knocked Washington’s Robert Griffin III out of the game with a solid hit.
Several Falcons have said they plan to slow Kaepernick by putting some wallops on him.
Kaepernick took over for the injured Alex Smith in Game 9 of the regular season. He rushed for 415 yards and five touchdowns before last week’s explosion.
“We just have to be disciplined,” Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas said. “He’s definitely an explosive runner.”
Kaepernick’s ability to read NFL defenses is still developing. He clearly leans heavily on wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
“What I would expect is that they’ll try to find Vernon (Davis) a little more because he doesn’t have too many targets up to this point,” Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less than to have a lot of balls thrown his way.”
Kaepernick also has Randy Moss and Ted Ginn at his disposal in the passing game.
He has thrown four interceptions this season, one returned for a touchdown by the Packers. He doesn’t rattle easily, though. After each of his interceptions, the 49ers bounced back with a touchdown drive.
“I think that’s our whole offense’s mentality,” Kaepernick said. “We have to bounce back from a turnover.”
On the hot seat: Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan
After the second-half collapse of the Falcons’ defense in the divisional round against Seattle, coordinator Mike Nolan is on the hot seat against the 49ers, the team that fired him four seasons ago.
The Falcons played the read-option well against the Seahawks, but left some gaping holes in their zones that were exposed by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson for 385 yards passing.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not as accomplished a passer as Wilson, but he put up 45 points against Green Bay.
“Throughout this process, as every team in the NFL has done with these new offenses, there is a little bit of a learning curve that’s going on for several people because they are not all the same,” Nolan said. “You have the pistol, the read-option, the trap-option, but it still entails the option which involves the quarterback.”
Traditionally, defenses have not accounted for the quarterback in their schemes and could basically play 11-on-10.
The Falcons will account for Kaepernick, but must also close holes in their coverages that were exploited by Wilson and his tight end Zach Miller (eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown).
“There are a lot of things that have to be shored up,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “The guy we are getting ready to play, Vernon Davis, is probably the most athletic tight end in all of football. I can remember sitting in Indianapolis watching this guy run a sub 4.5 there at the combine.”
Playoff history: Falcons lead series, 1-0
For years, the Falcons and the 49ers were foes in the old NFC West — before the Falcons moved to the newly created NFC South in 2002.
Mostly, the Falcons were fodder for the 49ers, who boast a 44-29-1 advantage over the Falcons in regular-season games.
The 49ers are steeped in playoff history. They have a 28-19 record and have won five Super Bowls.
However, the Falcons won the teams’ only previous meeting in the playoffs, a 20-18 contest in the divisional round of the 1998 season. The Falcons followed that with a victory against Minnesota to secure the franchise’s only appearance in the Super Bowl, under coach Dan Reeves.
The Falcons made the NFC Championship game after the 2004 season under coach Jim Mora, but were defeated by Philadelphia.
The 49ers were in the championship game last season, while the Falcons have only three players with championship-game experience: center Todd McClure, running back Michael Turner, cornerback Asante Samuel.
“We do lean on guys that have experienced it,” Falcons coach Mike Smith, who coached in the AFC Championship game in 2007 while the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville. “Throughout the week, there were guys going down to see guys in the locker room and talk to them. I know the guys that have had that experience in the playoffs are talking to our young guys.”
Smith is 2-0 against the 49ers. The Falcons prevailed in the previous meeting in dramatic fashion, 16-14 on Oct. 3, 2010. They also pummeled the 49ers 45-10 in 2009.
Stat corner: A look at San Francisco's run defense
The 49ers’ run defense was not stressed in the divisional round against Green Bay, which wanted to pass.
However, Green Bay running back DeJuan Harris averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 11 attempts.
The 49ers gave up 94.2 yard per game during the regular season, which ranked fourth in the NFL.
San Francisco coordinator Vic Fangio uses a 3-4 fire-zone defense. The 49ers’ blitz rate of 21.5 percent ranked 26th in the league, according to STATS.
The defensive line of ends Justin Smith and Ray McDonald and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga set the tone that allows inside linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman to attack the ball.
“I think their linebacking corps is probably as good as there is in football,” Fox NFL analyst Howie Long said. “Those two inside backers, it’s almost like that came off the same assembly line. … They are very physical up front. They are as good of a tackling team as there is in football.”
The Falcons ran for 167 yards against Seattle on Sunday, but are expecting a tougher fight from the 49ers.
“We are going to have to change our approach somewhat because of the nature of their defensive front,” left guard Justin Blalock said. “Not a vast change, but we are certainly not going to try because they have an excellent defense. They have great players. Everywhere you look there is a phenomenal player.”
Blalock will spend some time guarding the nose tackle and some guarding the inside linebackers.
