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49ers vs. Falcons Gambling Odds & 2013 NFC Championship Free NFL Pick

San Francisco vs Atlanta Betting?

Headline: NFC Championship Game pits #2 seed 49ers vs. #1 seed Falcons

The San Francisco 49ers will play in the NFC Championship for the second straight year – their opponent this year Atlanta qualified by securing their first playoff win in an eternity. For the 49ers, Sunday’s game is about redemption for a number of blunders that cost them a trip to last year’s Super Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
Date/Time: Sunday, January 20, 3:00 PM ET
Venue: Georgia Dome
Broadcast: FOX
49ers vs. Falcons Betting Lines from JustBet
Spread: 49ers -4 1/2 (-110)
Moneyline: 49ers -215: Falcons +185
Over/Under: 48 1/2 points

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For the Falcons, this game is all about respect – they will be out to prove that they can win the Big Games and they are among the elite in the NFL. Based on last week’s games, Sunday has all the makings of a classic – the 49ers are a surprising 4 1/2 point favorite on the road in one of the toughest road buildings on the planet.

The San Francisco 49ers certainly had their share of controversy for a team that led their division wire-to-wire. The switch to Colin Kapernick away from Alex Smith sure raised a few eyebrows, but last week’s game proved that Coach Jim Harbaugh might just know a thing or two about football and coaching.

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Kaepernick did nothing but gain confidence down the stretch leading his team to some very impressive victories – culminating in last week’s 45-31 win against Green Bay. Kaepernick rushed for a quarterback record 181 yards and two touchdowns in that game and threw for two scores as well. Kaepernick graduated to the elite calibre of NFL QB by outplaying Aaron Rodgers last week – he proved un-defensible in the win.

The 49ers passing game was 23rd in the NFL during the regular season but has improved down the stretch. Michael Crabtree scored twice last week and finally looks like he is realizing his full potential. Vernon Davis woke up last week as well.

The 49ers running game was 4th in the league during the regular season and like the passing game has only gotten better since Colin Kaepernick took the reins. Frank Gore continues to be one of the most effective RBs in the NFL – he is coming off 119 yards and a TD against Green Bay and will surely have his say Sunday.

The 49ers defense has been terrific all season long – the return of Justin Smith to the lineup gives this unit teeth. They finished 4th against the run and 4th versus the pass this season while giving up just 17.06 points per game – 2nd in the NFL.

The Atlanta Falcons seemed to be in cruise control last week against the Seattle Seahawks until they cam unravelled during the second half of that game. Atlanta held a 20-0 lead at halftime, and after three quarters, held the 27-7 advantage. But things went downhill from there, as the Seahawks scored 21 unanswered points to take the lead late. Seattle scored with time running out, but Matt Ryan hit his receivers for two big receptions and Matt Bryant was able to kick a 49-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

The Falcons were the 6th best passing team in the NFL during the regular season and possess weapons like Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez. Last week Matt Ryan completed 24-of-35 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns and drove the team to a game-winning field goal. However, his pair of picks almost cost the Falcons the game. Facing a 49ers’ secondary that played well against Aaron Rodgers, Ryan must eliminate those mistakes to win his second career postseason game.

Last week it was Atlanta’s running game that showed up and was the difference against Seattle. Jaqizz Rodgers was very effective and Michael Turner rushed for 98 yards on just 14 carries against the Seahawks’ No. 4 ranked defense in yards surrendered. Not bad considering Atlanta was 29th in rushing this season averaging just 87.31 yards per game.

As far as Atlanta’s defense, they have been bend, not break all season long – they will give up yards but have somehow limited the points against. However they had an extremely difficult time against the mobile Russell Wilson last week and are now faced with a bigger, faster, more effective Colin Kaepernick this week.

Betting Prediction:

A few trends to consider:

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 5 games
• San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 7 games when playing Atlanta
• San Francisco is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
• Atlanta is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
• Atlanta is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Francisco
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 7 games at home
• Atlanta is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games

If you would have jumped early you could have gotten the 49ers -2 1/2 but the line is moving as we speak. Atlanta is terrific at home but they may just have used up all their good luck last week. San Francisco is too potent, too confident and way too difficult to defense at this point of the season.

The Niners look like a team of destiny this year – their balance will be way too much for the Falcons this week. Atlanta’s playoff win streak is snapped at 1!

Pick: San Francisco 49ers -4 1/2

By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.