NFL Conference Championship Round: NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers (5) vs. Seattle Seahawks (1) (SETTLED)
By Matt Fitzgerald - The Bleacher Report
The physicality on display between these two clubs over the past two regular seasons has been astonishing to watch, but the intensity should only ramp up at CenturyLink Field with a Super Bowl bid on the line.
Both NFC West powerhouses have to be chomping at the bit to hit the gridiron. San Francisco running back Frank Gore certainly has faith that the Niners have what it takes to beat the nearly unbeatable Seahawks, per CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco.
"We have to go to Seattle. We know it’s going to be a dog fight. But we are built for this," said Gore.
Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin was appeased when the Niners knocked off the Carolina Panthers in the divisional round:
This will be the third matchup of the season, with Seattle winning in Week 2 at home 29-3 and San Francisco getting revenge on its home turf 19-17 in Week 14. None of that matters much, because game plans are sure to change substantially as each side attempts to figure out how to get an all-important edge.
Marshawn Lynch doesn't have quite as much wear and tear as Gore does and should be a bit fresher for this one, giving Seattle a slight edge on the ground. Pete Damilatis of Pro Football Focus highlighted just how much pain Lynch brought to the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round:
And there's no doubt the Seahawks secondary plays at a consistently higher level than the Niners' does, but San Francisco does have two legitimate receivers in Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree.
Both of those formidable targets can win the one-on-one battles that Seattle's consistent man coverage set up.
Before he knew the opponent for the impending game, Seahawks star safety Earl Thomas commented on his gratefulness to advance to this point and also was glad the team lost to Arizona at home, per Seahawks.com's Clare Farnsworth:
I’m just excited for the opportunity. I don’t have any expectations. I never have put any limits on this defense or myself. You just let stuff happen, and that’s how you become legendary. We make it hard (on teams that come in here). But we can be beat if we’re not on it, like we normally are. We learned that in the Arizona game.
I’m kind of glad it happened. Because you have tough learning lessons, even though you don’t want it to happen. But we learned from that experience and applied it to this experience and it paid off for us.
That loss to the Cardinals came in Week 16—Wilson's first defeat at home as a starter—but it may have helped alleviate some pressure of holding court throughout the playoffs in Seattle.
Wilson is a bit better at going through his progressions than Kaepernick and can make a little bit more happen when the play breaks down.
Even though he doesn't have the weapons Kaepernick does, the Seahawks' swarming defense that led the league with 39 takeaways will wreak enough havoc.
The home crowd will rattle San Francisco enough to drop the Niners to 1-2 in their three consecutive championship game appearances and send the Seahawks on the way to compete for a Lombardi Trophy.
Prediction: Seahawks 24, 49ers 20
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