What to Take From the 49ers 41-34 Win Over the Patriots

In the biggest game of his young career, Colin Kaepernick outdueled Tom Brady in Foxborough. (Jim Rogash)

In a Sunday Night Football battle that many proclaimed a Super Bowl preview, little went as expected. No one could have expected the 49ers to go up 31-3 midway through the third quarter. It seemed completely unlikely that Tom Brady would rally his troops to score four touchdowns to tie the score up with 6:43 left in the game. The final surprise was when it was Colin Kaepernick who made the big throw to lift his team to victory with the game on the line, rather than Brady.

None of this could have been predicted. However, now that it has occurred, we can look at what we can learn from it. My blog will reveal my five observations from the game as we head towards the playoffs.

1. Colin Kaepernick made some mistakes, but came up with the big plays when the 49ers needed him to. This victory should quell any talks of a quarterback controversy in San Francisco. Kaepernick is and should be the man as the 49ers move into the playoffs. He had an interception and trouble with center exchanges, but his four touchdown passes were each a thing of beauty. All of them being 24 yards or more opens up this 49ers offense completely. His ability to move in the pocket and threat to run only enhances this feature of the offense.

2. Tom Brady reminds us once again that he is indeed human. Brady is known as a touchdown machine. He had multiple passing touchdown games in seven out of the Patriots' last eight games. Brady has also thrown four interceptions all season. He got picked off twice by Carlos Rogers and Aldon Smith. Brady's offense that had been nearly unstoppable all season was held to three points for the majority of the game. Brady is still one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He just reminded us that even the greats have bad days at the office.

3. The 49ers pressure on Brady throughout the night was a crucial reason they won the game. Aldon Smith got pressure on Brady early in the game. Ray McDonald had two sacks from his defensive tackle position. He and Ricky Jean-Francois had sacks on consecutive fourth-quarter plays that led to the 49ers making an imperative stop of the Patriots as they clung to a 38-31 lead. The pressure helped force the interceptions by Aldon Smith and Carlos Rogers that played a significant role in the outcome of the game. The 49ers defensive pressure was pivotal to their success on both sides of the ball.

4. The Patriots can be uncharacteristically careless with turning the ball over. The Patriots entered the game with an NFL-best plus-24 turnover differential. Brady threw a first quarter interception into tight coverage. Then, running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen both fumbled. Those turnovers put the Patriots in an early hole. The Patriots entered the game with just 10 turnovers, but had four in this game, two interceptions by Brady and the fumbles by Ridley and Vereen. This is completely unexpected in the Bill Belichick era.

5. The X-factor that might help the 49ers win the Super Bowl could be their special teams. Punter Andy Lee changed field position significantly with a 64-yard punt in the fourth quarter. After the Patriots scored to time the game up, rookie LaMichael James' returned a kickoff 66 yards to put the 49ers in position for Michael Crabtree's go-ahead touchdown catch. Lee again pinned the Patriots at their 3-yard line in the final three minutes. Even kicker David Akers, much maligned this season, had a solid day making two out of three field goals, including the one that helped seal the 49ers victory. Lee is one of the best in the game, James is a game changer, and Akers is a veteran who knows what to do with the game on the line. The three of them could be crucial to the 49ers run at the Super Bowl.