NFC Championship Prop Picks: 49ers vs. Falcons Predictions 1/20
Last Updated: January 17th, 2013 byThe Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers are set to continue the 2013 NFL playoffs, and as a part of our analysis of the NFC Championship Game betting lines, we are taking a look at some of the best NFL props on the board for this crucial clash.
Colin Kaepernick Over/Under 62.5 Rushing Yards: Don’t do it! It’s a trap! Kaepernick shocked the world last week by rushing for 181 yards and two TDs against the Packers, and now, he is going to be going against a defense that was torched by a very similar QB Russell Wilson. Remember folks, last week was the highest scoring divisional round in NFL history, and it really wasn’t all that close. What Wilson and Kaepernick did was out of this world, and they just can’t be expected to have repeat performances. Sure, this could be problematic, knowing that ultimately, Kaepernick only needs to do a bit more than a third of what he did last week. However, look back at the raw numbers. Since Kaepernick jumped into the starting lineup, he has tallied 10, 27, 84, 53, 28, 31, 5, and 181 yards in his eight games. Even by averages, that’s only 52.4 yards per game, and when you take out the last two games, both of which we consider to be outliers, that number is still only at 38.8 yards per game. Think about this another way. The over/under here is 62.5, and we’ll just say that it’s a 50/50 proposition and this ends up being the average that Kaepernick were to have over the course of a 16-game season. That would leave him at exactly 1,000 yards. Know how many quarterbacks have rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season? One. Michael Vick. Once. In all of these years of NFL history. Don’t get suckered into what you saw last week.Colin Kaepernick Under 62.5 Rushing Yards (+100)
Will Frank Gore Score a Touchdown?: The Atlanta defense only gets credit for its scoring average, but it did allow four second half touchdowns last week against the Seahawks. If the Niners get into the end zone even three times, Gore is almost sure to score at least one of them. He found the end zone in 10 of his 17 games this year, and we really like these percentages at this point. Though Gore didn’t score San Fran’s final short touchdown of the game against the Packers (Anthony Dixon did), we still think that there is a great chance that Gore will find his way into the Promised Land at some point during this game. Frank Gore To Score a Touchdown (+100)
Michael Crabtree Over/Under 85.5 Receiving Yards: Here’s the problem that Crabtree has in this game: He’s going to be the only receiver that has a chance, and he is going to be matched up with a great corner in DB Asante Samuel, who has the ability to shut down even the best of receivers in the biggest of games. The only thing factor that scares us here is that Kaepernick has really only had eyes for Crabtree over the course of the last several weeks. He has had five games with at least 93 yards and five games with at least seven receptions in his last six games, all of which were started by Kaepernick, and he hadn’t put up more than seven receptions in a single game with QB Alex Smith calling the shots. Still, we think that this is just too high of a number for Crabtree to reach more often than not with a great corner on his back. Michael Crabtree Under 85.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
Vernon Davis Over/Under 40.5 Receiving Yards: This could be the best play on the board, and it could be the worst play on the board. If you believe in what you saw last week when TE Zach Miller absolutely lit up this secondary, this is a fantastic play to make. If you believe what you have seen over the course of the last several weeks when Davis was totally shut down and often held to just one reception (or no receptions), maybe this isn’t so smart. But here’s what we do know historically about Davis: He might have had a bad season, but he averaged 55.7 yards per game over his previous three seasons before this year. He’s still the second leading receiver on the team, and he still is a great option to use over the middle. It’s tough to throw against these Atlanta corners. It’s not always as tough to take advantage of the intermediate throws into the middle of the field. If Davis ever had a good game in him, this would be the game for that to happen. Vernon Davis Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
Matt Ryan Over/Under 280.5 Passing Yards: Here’s where we’re using some common sense. Matty Ice just hasn’t been all that good in the playoffs in his career, and even last week against the Seahawks, he wasn’t all that special. He’s going against a secondary now that ranked fourth in the league, allowing just over 200 passing yards per game. Ryan threw for 250 yards last week against the Seahawks, most of which came in the first two and a half quarters. That was the only time in his career in which he threw for more than 200 yards in a postseason game. This probably is going to be another one of these struggles for Ryan from start to finish. Matt Ryan Under 280.5 Passing Yards (+100)
Roddy White Over/Under 79.5 Receiving Yards: Same sort of concept. If Matty Ice doesn’t thrown for 280, White probably isn’t getting to 80. White has been all over the place anyway. He had 76 yards last week against the Seahawks and just 42 the week before against Tampa Bay. He had seven games this year with at least 100 yards, but all but one of the rest of his games featured 76 yards or fewer. It’s possible that White ends up having a great day, but it just isn’t all that likely. Consider that two of his 100+ yard games came against the lousy Panthers, one came against the lousy Saints, one came against the lousy Cowboys, and one came against the lousy Lions. Against some of the better sets of corners in the league? 38 yards against the Eagles, 57 yards against the Bucs, 42 yards against the Bucs the second time, 76 yards against the Seahawks… It just doesn’t look all that good for White.
Julio Jones Over/Under 72.5 Receiving Yards: And here we are again. White has had six straight games with 74 yards or fewer, and he has had 71 or fewer in five of those six. A deep play threat, you know that Jones is going to be blanketed with two deep coverage for most of the game against the 49ers, and that’s not going to help out his cause either. The only way Ryan gets to 280 is by hitting Jones deep. If that doesn’t happen, the former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide isn’t getting to 73 either.
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