I had no particular animus towards the Panthers coming into this game. They were (I thought) very similar to SF: a tough team who relies on their defense to make big plays and their offense to not screw it all up. They also have a QB who can make your defense shake their head trying to figure out what exactly happened on that last play.
Imagine my surprise when they morphed into a Jeff Fisher coached team, then. Tough talk, chippy penalties, late hits, showboating- they had the works. Acting like a perennial contender rather than a pathetic franchise who was making their first playoff appearance in half a decade. Well, I hope they're going home humbled. They got a bit of a glimpse of how an ACTUAL superbowl contender does business, and that was extremely satisfying.
That first half was nerve-racking, their offense was moving the ball at will and Kaepernick was throwing off his back foot in between 2 closing LBs trying to thread the ball right in front of DBs, a trait I hope he dispenses with, like, yesterday.
But gawd damn, our team has some good coaches. What a GREAT drive at the end of the half. That was one of the best drives of the year, capped off by Vernon Davis making the kind of play that I didn't know he had in him. Getting free of their supposed Patrick Willis clone, opening himself up, and dragging his foot perfectly for the TD. Just awesome.
Then those coaches remembered that Frank Gore plays for them, and in the 2nd half they chose to give him the ball. Hunter was great, too. The running game, as it should, sealed a great win for the 49ers, and Kaepernick flashed his incredible ability one more time to add a nice cherry on top. Mocking Cam's celebration was, given the way the Panthers had been representing themselves, entirely justified and I stood and applauded. Just so awesome.
For whatever reason, I had a terrible feeling before watching that the 49ers were not going to win. They showed up big time. Now we get a week of the media's collective genitals exploding prior to The Rematch to End All Rematches next week. I like SF's chances. Seattle's offense sucks. LET'S DO THIS.
Oh, and given that ABSOLUTE HORSE SHIT roughing the passer call, which single-handedly kept Carolina in the game, I like how one of the narratives from this game is the Panthers were plagued by "questionable calls". Bull shit, New York media. Get a grip.
