49ers Red Hot Heading to Carolina

NFL Wildcard weekend is in the books. For the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints won on the road to move on to the divisional playoffs and will once again be traveling this weekend.

Colin Kaepernick and his 49ers showed they could play in the frigid cold at Lambeau field in Green Bay in their 23-20 win on Sunday. Despite the fact Kaepernick is just 26 years of age and has only started 27 NFL games, he is now a seasoned playoff and championship caliber signal caller.

Thanks to his strong arm, quick feet and long strides, Kaepernick could be the catalyst the red-hot 49ers need to send them back to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season.

The 49ers now much play the Carolina Panthers who defeated San Francisco at Candlestick Park on November 10 by a score of 10-9.

The big question now arises after San Francisco’s win on Sunday is whether they can take their road show to Carolina and win.

Offensively, the 49ers rely a great deal on Kaepernick but the key player for San Francisco this weekend will be Michael Crabtree. He did not play when the 49ers lost in Week 10 to the Panthers after missing the first 10 weeks of the season.

However, after playing just 6 games since returning from his Achilles tendon tear, Crabtree is rounding into form, which was evidenced by his 8 receptions and 125 yards on Sunday in frigid cold Green Bay.

With Crabtree out of the lineup in the first game versus Carolina, Kaepernick only completed seven of his passes to wide receivers for just 58 yards. With Crabtree back in the lineup, it not only gives Kaepernick another great target, but it opens the field for both Vernon Davis and Anquan Boldin.

Many critics wondered if Kaepernick had taken a step back as a quarterback when he struggled without Crabtree in the lineup. That was unjust criticism, as the 49ers quarterback just needed the passing offense to be complete.

Since Crabtree returned, Kaepernick has 103 completions in 171 attempts for over 1,437 yards. This gives the 49ers a passing offense that could hurt the defense for Carolina.

Kaepernick also gives the 49ers a dual threat as he can scramble evidenced by the 98 yards on just seven carries on Sunday in Green Bay. The seven plays he ran were for the most part not schemes on the offense’s part.

Last season he beat Green Bay in the postseason by design in the read option, on Sunday he simply beat the Packers defense if he noticed tight coverage on his receivers.

The 49ers came out of Sunday’s game unscathed for the most part injury wise. Carlos Rogers a cornerback for the 49ers missed the game with a hamstring injury but should return against Carolina. Eric Wright the team’s other starter at cornerback played Sunday despite a sore hamstring and he should be fine against Carolina.

Demarcus Dobbs the team’s defensive tackle sustained a knee injury that forced him to sit the majority of the third and fourth quarters.

The 49ers know there is no time for let downs and will be crisscrossing the country against at the end of the week. However, with 7 straight wins under their belt, a quarterback who has returned to brilliant form and a defense that can shut down the run, the 49ers look like a good choice against Carolina.