San Francisco at Atlanta
When: 3:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 20, 2013
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FOX.
Line: 49ers -3.5. O/U: 48 –
Prediction: 49ers 35, Falcons 24

Kaepernick faced the questions that any first-time starter faces going into his first playoff game and answered every one against the Packers. After throwing an interception on his first series, Kaepernick set a playoff record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 181 and passed for 276, totaling four touchdowns along the way. The 25-year-old made a strong connection with wide receiver Michael Crabtree and helped open things up on the ground for Frank Gore, who rushed for over 100 yards (119) for the first time since Week 7. Defensively, San Francisco finished third in the NFL during the regular season but showed some cracks in the first half against Aaron Rodgers and company in the divisional round. Defensive tackle Justin Smith is dealing with a torn triceps and the 49ers struggled at times to get pressure on Rodgers.

The 49ers were a 45-31 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Packers. They covered the 3-point spread as favorites, while the total score (76) made winners of OVER bettors.

San Francisco: 11-4-1 SU, 9-7 ATS
When playing in January are 7-3
When playing on turf are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 6-3-1
When playing outside the division are 8-2
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 5 games
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 7 games when playing Atlanta
San Francisco is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road

Ryan does not have the same ability to escape the pocket that Rodgers has and will need more from his offensive line against the San Francisco pass rush. Ryan finally proved he could win a playoff game last weekend, throwing three touchdown passes and driving Atlanta for the game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Overlooked is the fact that the Falcons’ defense put Ryan in the position to come back by breaking down in the fourth quarter. Ranked 24th in the regular season, Atlanta’s defense allowed Wilson to pass for 385 yards and rush for another 60 while squandering a 20-point lead. Defensive end John Abraham, who will be one of the keys to keeping Kaepernick in the pocket, tweaked his ankle against the Seahawks and is listed as questionable for this week, though the Falcons expect him to play. Atlanta has had trouble with mobile quarterbacks like Wilson and Cam Newton, who used a similar read-option offense to put up 58 points in two regular-season games.

Atlanta was a 30-28 winner in its last match at home against the Seahawks. They failed to cover the 2.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 58 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Atlanta: 13-3 SU, 9-6-1 ATS
When playing in January are 5-5
When playing on turf are 8-2
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing outside the division are 10-0
Atlanta is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
Atlanta is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games

The post San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

The former starting quarterback is scheduled to begin classes when the semester starts on Monday and will return to the team after being arrested for a DUI in early October, disenrolling from the university and leaving the team after being suspended indefinitely.

Pachall spent time at a drug and alcohol treatment facility after leaving the team — a decision Patterson said was ultimately Pachall’s — and the coach made it clear the door for Pachall to return was open if he met all the requirements and completed the program.

“He finished all of his in-patient work and has been in out-patient work up until Friday,” Patterson told the paper. “He did everything we wanted him to do.”

The team is scheduled to meet on Sunday, the paper reported, and Pachall would be joining them. Patterson noted that he didn’t know if Pachall would be the team’s starting quarterback, but that he hadn’t thrown a football or lifted weights in “several months.”

“He met with Campus Life and one of the reasons I feel so good about this is because they feel so good about it. They feel very comfortable with it,” Patterson told the paper.

Pachall completed 66 percent of his passes for 948 yards, 10 touchdowns and an interception in four games last season before his arrest. He threw for 2,921 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2011 as TCU’s starting quarterback.

He was replaced by Trevone Boykin after leaving the team. Boykin finished 2012 with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions along with 2,054 passing yards, completing 57 percent of his passes. TCU also went 3-6 with Boykin as the starting quarterback.

The post Casey Pachall back with TCU appeared first on IdealCapper.

A little later he was back in the same seat wearing a wide grin as teammates congratulated him on a record-setting performance.

Brady shook off a rare turnover to throw for a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker, and the New England Patriots started with a victory for the eighth consecutive season Monday night by beating the Miami Dolphins 38-24.

Bet on NFL at Betonline. Get up to $900 Bonus for each deposit and Free Play!

Defensive end Jared Odrick picked off a deflected pass to set up a Miami touchdown and end Brady’s NFL-record streak of 358 passes without an interception.

Otherwise Brady and the reigning AFC East champions picked up where they left off last season, when he threw for 36 TDs and his team led the league in scoring.

New England totaled 622 yards, the most in franchise history and the most allowed by Miami. Brady’s performance overshadowed Miami’s Chad Henne, who threw for a career-high 416 yards.

The 906 net yards passing by both teams was an NFL record.

“They made some plays on us,” Brady said. “We made a few more than them.”

Brady, who went 32 for 48, became the 11th quarterback to throw for at least 500 yards. Norm Van Brocklin set the record of 554 yards in 1951.

“We’re pleased to have him on our side,” teammate Danny Woodhead said with a smile.

The capper came with 5:44 left and the Patriots leading 31-17. After they stopped Miami on downs at the 1-foot line, Brady lined up in the shotgun on first down and threw from his end zone to Welker, who had slipped behind Benny Sapp near the 30-yard line.

“When I saw the coverage as we lined up, I knew there was a strong possibility I could be getting the ball,” Welker said. “I just wanted to make the most of the opportunity.”

He did, catching the pass in stride and sprinting untouched for the score to complete the longest play in Patriots history.

“I only threw it 25 yards. Wes did all the work,” Brady said. “When I saw him break away, that was awesome. Coach never lets us run that route in practice.”

Brady also threw touchdown passes on consecutive plays. He hit Aaron Hernandez for a 31-yard score, and when a replay review determined the receiver was down at the 1, Brady threw to him again for a TD on the next play.

His other scoring passes covered 10 yards to Rob Gronkowski and 2 yards to Welker.

“Some of their scores ended up looking like it was kind of easy,” Miami coach Tony Sparano said.

Said Brady: “I wouldn’t say it was easy at all.”

He was sacked only once, and good protection gave his receivers plenty of time to work their way open.

Newcomer Chad Ochocinco had only one catch for 14 yards. But Welker made eight receptions for 160 yards, and tight ends Hernandez and Gronkowski combined for 189 yards on 13 catches.

“It wasn’t a one-man band out there,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We had a lot of contributions.”

The Dolphins’ defense returned virtually intact from last season and was expected to be the team’s strength, but Brady riddled them from the start.

He completed his first eight passes for 127 yards on the Patriots’ first two possessions, and both ended with TDs.

Brady’s first interception since Oct. 17 came early in the third quarter, when he tried to hit Julian Edelman in the flat. Sapp deflected the ball to the 304-pound Odrick, who rumbled 40 yards to the 9. Two plays later, Henne hit Brian Hartline with a 10-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-all.

Brady was so rattled it took him 10 plays to put the Pats ahead to stay. They drove 73 yards and scored on his 2-yard pass to Welker.

Bet on NFL at Betonline. Get up to $900 Bonus for each deposit and Free Play!

Miami’s problems with Brady were nothing new. He and the Pats beat the Dolphins twice last year while outscoring them 79-21. Losing at home was nothing different for the Dolphins, either, who have dropped 10 of their past 11 home games.

There was one change for the Dolphins. They promised a more aggressive, exciting offense under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and showed it from the start, scoring on a season-opening drive for the first time since 2000.

They lined up 355-pound nose tackle Paul Soliai in their goal-line offense, did damage with quarterback keepers by Henne and gave newcomer Reggie Bush 20 touches. Brandon Marshall gained 139 yards on seven catches, but he and Miami couldn’t keep up with Brady.

“Not the defensive performance we were hoping for,” Sparano said. “That’s an understatement.”

Game notes
Patriots C Dan Koppen rode off in a cart late in the first half with a left leg injury. He was on crutches after the game. … Dolphins DE Tony McDaniel missed most of the second half with a hand injury. … Brady’s previous career high in passing yardage was 410 against Kansas City in 2002. … A statue of founding Dolphins owner Joe Robbie was rededicated before the game. The statue had been in a storage area during stadium renovations. … Celebrities in attendance included Dwyane Wade, Will Smith and Pitbull.

The post Tom Brady picks apart Dolphins as 517-yard, 4-TD opener fuels Pats appeared first on IdealCapper.