Well, those were some crazy ass games today. Alex Smith matches Andrew Luck TD for TD, throws no picks to Luck’s 3, and still KC loses 45-44 after Smith and Co built up a 38-10 lead minutes into the 2nd half. Philly and NO played a more defensive battle in the cold, and NO wins their historic first road playoff win hitting the game-winning FG as time ran out 26-24. Again, the winning QB was the one throwing picks as Foles had none, and Brees had 2. NO brought something they haven’t shown too much of, and that’s a strong run game. Something KC could have used, but lost early with Jamaal Charles leaving after the 1st series, and the backup RB Knile Davis also going out in the 3rd quarter.
The good news for me, besides the entertainment factor of these games was the fact that the refs were for the most part in the background. There were no blown calls, and there were no game-changing mistakes from the guys in the stripes.
So, here we go. We are the last playoff game, and I think this is another exciting nail-biter. However, I think we can wear down Green Bay’s banged up defense and win this going away. 31-20 in the cold cold cold is still my call.
Forty Niners Forever 
Batting .000 so far!
That’s OK, everyone either goes to the can or to the fridge when you’re up to bat anyway. No one gives a flying fig what your average is. Make something up that is good, but not that good. But good enough to sit on the bench so you could pinch hit for Manny Mota, who was pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon…
Chuck sez: 31-20 Niners. The good news is we seem to match up well with Green Bay with our base defense. The Niners only got 2 sacks in week 1 but Rodgers was harassed all game, and completed 56% of his passes. Kappy on the other had went for 70%. I think the Niners can wear down Green Bay’s defense, and keep Rodgers from going too crazy.
NJ49er says: 27-17 9ers
I’m concerned about our Secondary in the cold mostly. Rodgers can wing it and cold weather favors them. Have to keep Rodgers from rolling. Sacks would be nice but, we can’t allow him to buy time. Hurries could be better than sacks in this kind of weather. Talking below zero wind chill factor for this one.
Gotta keep their O off the field. Good place for the Power Run game.
12th man: 21-17 Niners. Looking forward to Sunday it looks like a frigid day in Green Bay. I will take the Niners 21-17.
Irish Kevin says: At home watching The Herd, Colin calls the Niners the best team in the NFL, 1. Niners, 1A. Seattle, 3. Denver. He also says Niners by 7, maybe by 10 over GB.
Irish Kevin says: Don’t know the teams well enough to call a score. But my score to the Niner game stands at Niners 20 – GB 13
phil fan says: I have Niners by 7 too. Ten wouldn’t surprise me. Never heard a player make a call like that before.
Flavor says: I’m gonna say 26-24 Niners.
snarkk says: 33-24 Niners. Niners have the better talent. But, that doesn’t guarantee a win, with Rogers at oppo QB, and the Niner secondary limping. The outside rush may have difficulty getting leverage due to a slippery field, so IMO J. Smith and rush up the middle is imperative to get into Rodgers’ face. Since the GBay defense sucks, I’ll go with the Niners controlling the ball, and winning 33-24. If the field is like an ice rink in the second half, the offense should have the advantage. Gore should run 20-25 times against these Pack putzes. If Frank gets over 100 yards and Niners have 2 or fewer turnovers, they should win. Dawson should play a pretty big role with 3 or more FGs. In that frigid weather, I expect turnovers. Hell, in that cold, a polar bear would fumble a seal…
twinfan1 says: 21-17 Niners. My call- Harbaugh’s style pays off in this one. Same score as in the first Ice Bowl, with the visitors on top this time. Bad weather can throw the best plans for a loop. My point? The great coaches play it on the fly if need be. BTW, let’s see if this beats “Ice Bowl 1″. The weather that day: -2 degrees, relative humidity 55%, wind 15 mph, wind chill -23
phil fan says: 34-27 Niners. We’re going to score on these guys and Rodgers and co. will put up 3 TDs. It wont be enough. Our run game the difference as Kap will match Rodgers. “General” Patton could be the difference with LMJ on punts
I want KC, Chargers + Niners mainly for sentimental reasons. Saints/Eagles- I like Eagles but am rooting for Saints so we play Panthers. Is that wise? But first we have business in GB
26-14 Niners, but with wind chill starting at -20 and dropping after sunset, 2-0 wouldn’t surprise me.
I was surprised to see Alex playing his version of Kaep with the Read/Option in Indy today.
He played a good game for the most part considering JCharles went out very early.
I happen to think the final play was more on Alex than Bowe.
Alex had room to lead him inside more IMO.
Didn’t get a good view of the entire field but, I didn’t notice a S toward the hash on that side of the feld.
Tough break.
Improves our Draft Pick though.
Thanks Alex.
NJ- Heard AS worked w/ Chris Alt Kaps coach during off season FWIW
Yes I’d heard that too Phil.
Just thought it was odd to see Alex doing it.
Pull all the stops in the Playoffs.
No tomorrow when you lose.
Thought it interesting Saints ran the ball in the cold weather effectively (195 vs 80 for PHI) and won despite Brees 2 TOs. Expect we’ll see a lot of that tomorrow = eat up clock and keep AR on bench. Best chance for GB is to grab an early lead passing and run the ball. Thats what we’ll be doing I bet
The cold weather favors the running game.
Hope we can control that aspect of the game and keep this game in our hands.
Can’t look past Rodgers and our questionable Secondary.
Handling the ball in sub-freezing weather is a tall order.
Have to focus on the fundamentals and grind out a WIN.
Saw none of the games, but per highlights Alex Smith played the best game I’ve “seen” him play. He was quick, decisive with his passes, and ran well. Wasn’t his fault they lost. I guess the lack of a running game killed ’em. How can you lose a playoff game up by 28 in the second half? Ouch…
Yeh Snarkk, hard to fault Alex too much.
He blew one easy throw to a wide open RB (Gray?), that could have turned that game momentum around. Instead I think it sparked the Colts at that point.
Even so, Alex did enough to win that game.
KC took a few important injuries and all but, the D in KC stood for Disappeared.
No reason to lose the huge lead as they did.
Lousy clock management played into it late as well.
Watched too many KC guys running out of bounds late in that one too.
Let the KC loss of their game with a big lead give a esson to Harbs. Don’t sit on a lead, especially when you’ve got a gunslinger QB in opposition. If you’ve got a lead, and I hope the Niners get one early, keep piling on with offense, and keep the pressure on with your D…
Agreed.
Take points as often as you can get them.
Playoffs now. Take no prisoners.
I hear the over/under on frostbite victims is 7.
I’ll bet the over in a big way.
KC didn’t sit on the lead. After KC scored to open the 3rd quarter, Indy scored easily, and Reid went right back to passing. Smith scrambled was sacked and stripped of the ball. Instant TD for Indy. So, in the course of 2 minutes, Indy had 14 points. At the time I said they should be running more. It went from 38-10 to 38-24. A big momentum shift.
Alex’s intentional grounding penalty was on Alex, wasn’t it? Just checking.
I haven’t heard anyone giving any credit to Indy’s defense being able to totally change their game plan in the second half and slam the door on the Chief’s scoring. I know they lost some starters but wasn’t it Reid who was heaping praise on his backups being able to step up last week?
Luck threw 3 picks. No one goes through a game without mistakes. You haven’t heard anyone giving Indy’s defense credit. If this is your news source, you might not get all the facts. Try as I might.
Backups playing in a meaningless game is a little different than the playoffs on the road.
Here, my news source? Not freakin’ likely. Oh, wait! There’s some typical blog news right there. “A meaningless game is different than the playoffs on the road.” Thanks, chuck. Tell Andy Reid, you’re football-smarter than he is.
We have Tarrell Brown back, right? I know he was out with bruised ribs. If he’s up to speed, I won’t feel tooo too bad about Rogers being slowed/out. Or even Wright.
Brown’s listed as probable, so I guess he’s good to go. It looks like he’s been in the last couple games as well. With these guys banged up, I’m a little worried about GB’s slot guys. Cobb and Jordy Nelson.
Pressure pressure pressure. Get in Aaron’s face early and often.
No Carlos Rogers and no Eric Wright would mean a whole lot of Darryl Morris and Cox trying to cover the Pack wideouts. That’s some fresh meat for Aaron Rodgers to eat up. Ring the dinner bell.
OK, all these WC games can’t be last-minute thrilling nail-biters. There’s gotta be a blowout somewhere. Cincy wins big — 37-17. Maybe even throw in a late Pick 6 for good measure.
I noticed the refs too, Chuck — in the only way I want to notice them. It was refreshing not to see any legit hits being called PFs. Let’s hope that continues. If we’re going to beat em, or get beat by em, I want the refs to have NOTHING to do with it.
Anyway — we’ll beat em. Here are my numbers:
30-28 Niners
175/100 (my blood pressure during the last two minutes)
80 (the proof of whatever I can drain from my liquor cabinet)
17 (the number of fans at Lambeau treated for cold/frostbite related conditions or injuries
Good luck, gentlemen.
Go Niners!!!!!
Judging from Skeebs and here, True First Alex Love is a lifelong thing (cue Shakespeare here). Nevermind that the only Chiefs victories in their last 7 regular season games, with a healthy Charles, were against Washington and The Undead Als.
That means they finished 2-6. But it’s not Alex’s fault. Ever. Never. The starting QB only has an impact on victories, when it’s all to his credit.
True Alex First Love is alive and well at Skeebs and here. It’s so romantic (cue Shakespeare here) to carry a torch for a QB who won 2 of his final 7 games! He beat the Skins and the Undead Als!
If you can’t see that the loss isn’t on Alex, then you don’t get football. Whenever your defense gives up 35 points in 2 quarters, you don’t stand too much of a chance at winning. Reid should have run more in the 3rd quarter. The sack fumble was a big play. Besides, if that was Romo, you guys would be creaming yourself at how good a game that would be for him. I Unfortunately. that WASN’T a Romo game, because Smith threw no picks.
Gleefully laugh at his (and his team’s) failure as you will, but they were 2-14 last year. I don’t think KC is down on Alex.
I mean really. If NoFear can acknowledge that Smith played a good game, just leave it at that.
Alex did NOTHING in the final 28:50. He didn’t see or sense Mathis coming for him from his throwing side while he was scrambling – horrible mistake.
Oh and BTW, two passes accounted for over 120 yards and 2 TDs, one where the wide receiver was not covered by anyone, and the other a one yard pass with a 60 YAC.
When a QB blows a 28 point second half lead, despite his opposite number contributing his two second half picks, IT’S NOT HIS FAULT!
Alexcuses 1001, 1002…
The defense blew the lead, skippy. Indy’s defense adjusted.
The defense that gave Alex the ball twice on picks in the second half. Right, ippy.
RT, Still an idiot, I see.
Wow. Here comes a big call in the Cincy game. Hometown call would be incomplete, no ‘football move.’
Shit. These refs are all calling shit right. I hope because these are the best of the group?
They better get it right. This is the referee that has screwed so much up lately. He’s going to have a lot of scrutiny running a playoff game.
That’s Tripplette. right?
right.
It must be Niner playoff time because I’m already feeling the butterflies in my stomach.
Either that or all the muscle relaxers, Vicodin and Bud Light is making for a bad chemistry. I need chemist. Where’s Walter White when ya need ’em.
When our games starts, do not adjust the color on your TV.
Lambeau Field is indeed brown.