Five Players to Watch Championship Weekend

Added on Jan 18, 2013 by Scott in

NFL

The NFL’s version of the Final Four will take place on Sunday. The 49ers are making their second consecutive trip to the NFC title game, while the battle for the AFC crown is a rematch from 2011, won of course by the Patriots. Both games feature intriguing storylines and a host of big names who are key to victory. Here are five players to keep a close eye on this weekend.

Akeem Dent & Sean Weatherspoon (LBs, Falcons) – Shutting down the Niners powerful rush attack is Atlanta’s top priority. In the games San Fran either lost or tied, Frank Gore was limited. Dent and Weatherspoon combined for 17 tackles in last week’s thrilling win over Seattle. For the Falcons to have any chance of reaching the Super Bowl, their defensive front must make the Niners one-dimensional and stop both Gore and Colin Kaepernick. Easier said than done.

Michael Crabtree (WR, 49ers) – Since Kaepernick took over under center, Crabtree has been an elite wide receiver. In his last six starts, he’s caught 44 passes for 657 yards and six touchdowns. To beat Atlanta, big plays must be converted down field, and Crabs is the only consistent threat in the Niners arsenal. Exploit a suspect secondary and keep the Falcons from crowding the line of scrimmage. That’s a Super Bowl recipe for San Fran.

Vince Wilfork (DT, Patriots) – Wilfork was a beast in last year’s AFC title tilt versus Baltimore, notching six total tackles and a sack. The Ravens finally wised up and leaned on Ray Rice in their upset of Denver last Saturday, giving him 30 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. The Pats front seven cannot allow Rice to post similar numbers on Sunday. If Wilfork can control the interior once again, the Ravens will struggle to sustain drives.

Joe Flacco (QB, Ravens) – Fair or not, Flacco is constantly under the microscope. He hit on his deep balls versus Denver last week, and outplayed Tom Brady this time a year ago by throwing for 306 yards, two TDs and one interception. The Patriots secondary is still vulnerable to coverage breakdowns, so expect the Ravens to attack early and often with the trio of Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta. A win for Flacco all but guarantees him a new contract.