Red Rain Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Found some interesting info on the 49ers. If this game comes down to scoring touchdowns vs/ settling for field goals, the Falcons might have a serious advantage.http://www.grantland...playoff-matchupDid you know that the 49ers are actually significantly worse in the red zone with Colin Kaepernick at the helm than they were under Alex Smith? Doesn't that seem weird? Somehow, it's true. During San Francisco's first nine games this season, the offense averaged 5.2 points per trip inside their opposition's 20-yard line, a figure that would rank fourth in the league if they kept it up over the entire season. Once Kaepernick came in, things changed. Even after a brilliant performance against the Bears in his first start, the 49ers were decidedly worse with Kaepernick under center in the red zone. In his 29 trips to the red zone, Kaepernick could only muster 4.1 points per possession, which would actually be the third-worst red zone offense in football if it held up over a full season.They're terrible in the red zone on defense, too. San Francisco gave up 5.3 points per trip inside the 20 this year, which was the fourth-worst rate in the league, as only the Titans, Bills, and Chargers were worse. Their secret is to not let teams get into the red zone to begin with, as the Niners have allowed a league-low 36 trips to the red zone this year. They're not bend-but-don't-break; they're don't-bend-and-ah-what-the-****-go-score.And how does Atlanta do in the red zone?Atlanta, meanwhile, has been a very good team in the red zone on both sides of the ball. Only the Patriots and Broncos made more trips to the red zone this year than the Falcons' offense, and they averaged 5.1 points per attempt, which was the sixth-best performance in the league.And the Atlanta defense only allowed 4.2 points per trip inside their 20, the fourth-best figure in the NFL. So if Atlanta's looking for a place where they hold the advantage, it might be in those spots where they can turn a field goal into a touchdown on offense (and vice versa on defense). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiohead Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Great, great stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcons007 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Yep. I watched the SEAand 49ers game. Kaep had a guy open in the end zone but not his first read. He just took off and got tackled on 3rd down. Niners attempted the FG which was blocked and returned for TD. The game could have been 14-7 instead of 21-0. They key in this game is to not give up explosive plays but make them earn every yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Negatorris Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Rain Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Good stuff.Waiting for 49ers' fans to start making excuses in 3...2...1... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm_falcons Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Dont give up the big play....His 3rd down conversion rate is not good....its around 36%. Make him work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blizzard_falcon Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 (edited) I also think this will be the difference in the game. If we can get into the red zone, we should score a lot of points. And I think the 49ers will move the ball up and down the field against us, but struggle to score points, especially with Akers struggling so badly.I think that difference in the red zone will allow us to pull out the win, Atlanta 24 - San Francisco 20. Edited January 18, 2013 by virginiafalcon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original dirty_dirty Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight toker Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Waiting for 49ers' fans to start making excuses in 3...2...1...No excuse. All that has equated is Kaep's 6-2 record, 29 points a game whereas an alex smith led 49ers averaged 24 points per game. He averages 226 yards per game to Alex's 217. The only thing alex has on him is a slightly higher completion percentage and more touchdowns in the air but less overall touchdowns. So, sure, i'll accept those things if theyre playing that much better with him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dumb9erfan Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Kaep is a young qb so while i wont make excuses for him its his 8th start i wont crown his *** (no dennis green) but i dont tear him down because hes gotten us this far. but that article is spot on, look for colin to either run or look for crabtree or walker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuggle'2 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Didn't realize this , good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.