Trouble with the tight end
San Francisco’s Vernon Davis and Seattle’s Zach Miller gave the Falcons fits in the playoffs this year:
Name, Team/Rec./Yards/TDs
Vernon Davis, 49ers/5/106/1
Zach Miller, Seahawks/8/142/1
It wasn’t Colin Kaepernick’s legs that helped San Francisco defeat Atlanta 28-24 on Sunday at the Georgia Dome in the NFC Championship game.
It was his eyes, his arm and his head.
Running the same zone-read option that befuddled Green Bay last week when he rushed for an NFL record 181 yards, Kaepernick rushed just two times for 21 yards against the Falcons. With Atlanta's defensive ends determined to stay up field to take away the outside running areas, Kaepernick made that read and handed off to one of his tailbacks, who rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns. On pass plays, he rarely forced anything, completing 16 of his 21 attempts for 233 yards and another touchdown.
Most importantly, despite his inexperience, he never panicked after his team fell behind 17-0.
“Going out on the field frantic isn’t going to help you score points,” he said. “You have to stay calm. You have to try to lead your team.”
It was an impressive performance for a quarterback in his second year and making just his ninth start. Kaepernick took over after Alex Smith sustained a concussion in Week 10 against St. Louis. Now Kaepernick is 7-2 as a starter, running an offense featuring the pistol formation that he executed well at Nevada. And they are headed to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
“Kap, he showed everybody that he can do whatever: run, throw the ball,” running back Frank Gore said.
Kaepernick and the 49ers had 579 yards in last week’s 45-31 win over Green Bay. He passed for 263 with throws that analyst Phil Simms said were some of best he’s ever seen. But it was the threat he presented running the ball that caught everyone’s attention, including the Falcons.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of keeping him under wraps and minimizing his big-play ability,” Falcons safety Thomas Decoud said. “We wanted to make him one-dimensional by forcing him to make throws from out of the pocket.”
Kaepernick proved more than capable, with Vernon Davis benefitting the most.
The Falcons seemed to try to use the same coverage scheme they used against Seattle in last week’s win. In that game, Seahawks tight end Zach Miller was often wide open, catching eight passes for 142 yards.
Kaepernick and Davis had the same type of success, hooking up five times for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Many predicted that Davis, who had just five receptions in the past five games, might erupt against the Falcons, especially after what Miller did last week. Davis figured it was just a matter of time.
“They’ve been calling my number,” Davis said. “It just didn’t work out for me (then). It’s like that sometimes. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Frank Gore benefitted the most from the threat of Kaepernick running the ball. Gore carried the ball 21 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Gore and fellow back LaMichael James said the team never thought about not running the ball, even when they fell behind by such a large margin. Kaepernick was one of the reasons why.
“He just competes like a maniac all the time, in practice and in games,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said.
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