A lot can change during the course of an NFL season. For proof of that, just ask the San Francisco 49ers quarterback' Colin Kaepernick. Up until week 11 of the season, Kaepernick was playing backup to Alex Smith. Now, he has people of all ages "Kaepernicking" after his 181 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 16 carries to go along with his seemingly pedestrian 263 yards passing and two touchdowns that propelled his team past the Green Bay Packers 45-31 en route to the NFC Championship Game.
This Sunday, Kaepernick and his 49ers travel to Atlanta to take on Matt Ryan and the 14-3, No. 1 seed Falcons. Atlanta advanced to the NFC title game after defeating rookie-sensation Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks 30-28. Despite not getting anything going in the first quarter, Wilson carved the Falcons 23rd ranked pass defense up for 385 yards passing on 24/36 passing. Kaepernick had to have been licking his chops watching that game. Aside from that, the Falcons defense is giving up just under nine yards per carry to opposing quarterbacks. That does not bode well for Atlanta.
Based on those results and the general lack of success Atlanta's defense has had this season, it isn't difficult to envision a scenario in which San Fran's second-year, tattooed sensation quarterback doesn't follow up his NFC divisional round performance with another dominating performance this Sunday. I fully expect Kaepernick to lead his team past the Falcons and in to Super Bowl XLVII, earning the NFC Championship Game MVP honors in the process.
While it remains to be seen if Kaepernick and this new, faster breed of NFL quarterbacks are here to stay or rather just a flash in the pan, one thing is for certain: he's going to be given every opportunity in the world to succeed. If Colin and the fourth-ranked 49ers defense can do what I fully expect them to do and defeat the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday afternoon, he'll be able to showcase his talents on the biggest stage in the NFL--Super Bowl XLVII.