Seattle Seahawks Defeat San Francisco Forty-Niners 23-17 In Close, Hard-Fought Championship Game (1/19/2014)

It was a close game, and the Niners were ahead 17-13 going into the Fourth Quarter.  However, the Seahawks scored a touchdown and a field goal in the fourth quarter to go ahead and win.  The Niners had possession in the last two minutes, and were moving the ball well with Quarterback Colin Kaepernick actually completing some passes for a change.  His last throw of the game was into the end zone, where it was intercepted to end the game with only seconds left.  If the Niners could have scored a touch down, they could have won the game by one point, 24-23, and been headed for the Super Bowl.

It seems to this observer that Kaepernick has some serious weaknesses as a quarterback.  He has trouble completing passes, and makes some bizarre play calls.  His strength is in running the ball.  If he cannot overcome his weaknesses next year, I suspect he will be replaced.  However, I hope he can continue to grow as a 49er and as a quarterback.  

The Niners had a good season and went down fighting hard.  I would rather see them lose the NFC Championship than to go to the Super Bowl and lose there.  Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks. I suspect that they will be the next Super Bowl champions.

Forty-Niners Advance to Conference Championship - January 19, 2014

The San Francisco Forty-Niners defeated the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, NC today, 23-10.  The Niners will advance to the National Football Conference championship next Sunday, January 19, 2014.

The Niners and the Panthers game was not as close as expected.  The Panthers were very scrappy in the First Quarter, and their defense shut down the run quite effectively.  As the game wore on, the Niners appeared stronger and more confident, whereas the Panthers were faulted with unnecessary roughness penalties on two or three occasions.

Final score in the game was 23-10, Forty-Niners over the Panthers.