When the 2013 NFC Championship Game is played Sunday the Atlanta Falcons will try to do what the New York Giants did last season in the title game -- shut the door on the San Francisco 49ers' title hopes. The Falcons host the 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship Game with the winner heading to the 2013 Super Bowl.
Game Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: FOX:
Odds: San Francisco -5
[Complete SB Nation NFL coverage]
Giants' fans, of course, can only smile at the memory of last season's NFC Championship Game, when two fumbled punts by Kyle Williams of San Francisco helped the Giants win, 20-17, in overtime.
This season, though, the 49ers are back for a return engagement in the title game while the Giants have been home for weeks. San Francisco advanced to their second consecutive title game with a decisive 45-31 home victory against Green Bay, with quarterback Colin Kaepernick leading the 49ers to 579 total net yards, the fourth-most by any team in a playoff game in NFL history. In addition to his 263 passing yards, Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards, the most ever by a quarterback in an NFL game, regular season and playoffs included.
[Ed' Championship Weekend predictions]
Atlanta advanced by defeating the Seattle Seahawks, 30-28.Former Giants Matt Bryant hit the game-winning 49-yard field goal in the closing seconds. Atlanta built a 20-0 first-half lead that was quickly erased by the red-hot Seahawks, who had won eight of their past nine entering the Divisional round. Seattle's Marshawn Lynch nearly capped off the incredible comeback with a two-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Seahawks a 28-27 lead.
But Matt Ryan of the Falcons completed a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Harry Douglas followed by a 19-yard strike to tight end Tony Gonzalez to set up Bryant's game-winning kick.
Injuries
San Francisco
Probable: G Alex Boone (knee), LB Navorro Bowman (shoulder), CB Tarell Brown (shoulder), TE Garrett Celek (foot), CB Chris Culliver (knee), S Dashon Goldson (shin), LB Tavares Gooden (knee), RB Frank Gore (knee), LB Clark Haggans (shoulder), G Mike Iupati (shoulder), RB Bruce Miller (shoulder), LB Aldon Smith (shoulder), DT Justin Smith (elbow, triceps), LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)
Atlanta
Questionable: DE John Abraham (ankle), DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder)
Probable: S William Moore (hand), LB Stephen Nicholas (foot), CB Christopher Owens (hamstring)
-- See The Falcoholic for the Atlanta perspective, and Niners Nation for the San Francisco viewpoint.