NFL Championship -- Three Keys to Victory

San Francisco vs Atlanta

1.  Home Dome field advantage
The Falcons have been difficult to beat in the Georgia Dome, going 8-1 this season.  Remember that while Colin Kaepernick played like a veteran last weekend at Green Bay, the noise he will hear today will be yet another Welcome to the NFL test for the tattooed youngster.  If the Falcons can start fast and surge off the energy of the crowd, they should be able to withstand the inevitable surge of the Niners.

2. Run to set up the pass
Both Frank Gore and Michael Turner have a lot of tread on their collective tires.  Gore has looked like his younger self for most of the season. If he continues to eat up big chunks of yardage the Niners will be able to dictate the pace with long, physical drives.  If not, Colin Kaepernick will be forced to sit in the pocked and throw the ball down the field which is exactly what Falcons head coach Mike Smith is looking for.  On the other side of the ball, which Michael Turner will show up? There is no doubt he has lost a few steps, but he still has the size and strength to plod along for consistent short gains.  The real X Factor is Jaquizz Rodgers -- if he can break several long runs like he last week, the Niners will have to bring a Safety into the box, opening up deep seam routes to Julio Jones and Roddy White.

3. Coaching
 Falcons coach Mike Smith and Matt Ryan were bailed out last week by some head scratching defensive sets by Pete Carroll on the Falcons last minute game winning drive.  They will receive no such soft coverages from aggressive minded Niners coach Jim Harbaugh.  If the Falcons get the lead and go into their shell like they did last week, Matt Ryan will not win his second playoff game of his career.  On the other side, the Niners should forget the success they had last week running the Pistol offensive against the Packers. While the Falcons defense may not be elite, they are much faster on the outside than the Packers.  The Falcons lack any sort of pass rush and Harbaugh should have prepared his young QB to recognize blitz packages and read his keys to find open receivers.  If Harbaugh is counting on another record setting rushing day from his QB, he will be watching the Super Bowl from home for the second year in a row.