Stingy Defense, Explosive Offense Collide On Sunday Night

Intriguing Game- Week 15

49ers (9-3-1) at Patriots (10-3)

49ers- If everything holds up, the Niners will have a first round bye in the NFC playoffs for the second straight year under Coach Jim. The questions are still being asked at this point: Will Harbaugh stick with Kaepernick the whole way through or will we see Alex Smith again? I don’t think people remember this but before Alex went down, he completed 18 of 19 passes in a win over the Cardinals on a Monday night. As a defender you’d rather face Alex more than you would Kaepernick because when facing Alex, you don’t have to worry about him scrambling out the pocket. You can play your base defense. If you face Kaepernick, he’s a guy who can scramble out the pocket and make plays with his feet. This is the most physical team in the NFL and Sunday night won’t be an easy task as Randy Moss returns to where he had the best season of his career in Foxboro. Will the Niners continue their dominance on the East Coast?

Patriots- They’ve won 7 in a row and are clicking through the month of December. This offense is still getting the job done without Gronk and I can only imagine how it’ll be when he comes back. Brady was my pick to win MVP at the beginning of the season and I’m sticking with it. I think he’s the best QB in football right now and he’s had the stats to prove it this year. One thing I’ve noticed about the Patriots is their defense has improved since the acquisition of Aqib Talib. He’s more than capable of being matched up against the other team’s primary target. This Patriots defense held a Texans offense to 14 points last Monday night. You haven’t really heard about them too much the talk has been Houston being the top team in the AFC and Denver streaking with Peyton, don’t be surprised if the Patriots are playing in New Orleans representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Prediction: It’s stingy defense against a potent offense. The 49ers feel they can beat anyone, anywhere but I don’t think they have enough offense to keep up with the Patriots. I like New England at home to keep winning. Patriots 31 49ers 21