 San Francisco 49ers Frank Gore (C) is congratulated by teammates Vernon Davis (R) and Colin Kaepernick (L) after scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter during their NFL NFC Divisional play-off football game in San Francisco, Calif. Jan. 12, 2013. (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith) |
The Game
San Francisco 49ers (12-4-1) at Atlanta Falcons (14-3)
Sunday, 3 p.m. EST (CTV/FOX)
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
Weather Forecast: Domed field
The Line: 49ers by 4
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Playbook Favourites
49ers: The read-option pistol — sometimes with just a running back behind quarterback Colin Kaepernick; sometimes with one backfield blocker, staggered, and sometimes with two, split, in what is called the “Bonewish”, an inverted wishbone. After Kaepernick ascended to starter in mid-November, the Niners began employing more pistol plays. In them, Kaepernick usually runs a read-option – either handing off up the gut to Frank Gore (or LaMichael James), or keep and dart around end. Against the Packers, the 49ers ran more than 30 such pistol plays, and gored the Packers with it. It’s no gimmick.
