After an exciting finish to the Divisional Round of the 2013 NFL playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks, the Atlanta Falcons will now prepare for an intense 2013 NFC Championship battle against the San Francisco 49ers–who put a beat down on the Green Bay Packers Saturday night.
Despite having the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Falcons entered Sunday’s game against the Seahawks with plenty of pressure considering how much they’ve struggled over the last couple of years. This marked the fourth time in five years Atlanta reached the postseason, but Matt Ryan and Mike Smith were still looking for that first playoff win together.
Now–the weight is off their shoulders as they’re one win away from playing in New Orleans for this year’s Super Bowl.
As for the 49ers, the argument can be made they may be the most dangerous overall team left in the playoffs after their 45-31 win over the Packers after Colin Kaepernick arguably displayed one of the top performances in history during his first career postseason start. The former Nevada star set a postseason record for a quarterback by rushing for 181 yards with two touchdowns to go along with 263 passing yards and two touchdowns.
If he continues playing at this hot level–it’s going to be tough for the Falcons to stop him in the NFC Championship next Sunday as San Francisco will be playing with an extra chip on their shoulder considering how they fell just short of the Super Bowl last year after losing to the New York Giants.
