Giants vs. 49ers: Why RB Frank Gore Is San Francisco's Most Important Weapon

Heading into the NFC Championship Game, much of the discussion surrounding the San Francisco 49ers has revolved around their league-leading defense and the skills of quarterback Alex Smith.

Meanwhile, the team's best offensive weapon, running back Frank Gore, seems to have taken a back seat to these storylines. However, when it comes to the actual game, Gore will have to take a front and center role for the Niners if they are to defeat the New York Giants and reach the Super Bowl.

Gore had just 13 carries last week against the New Orleans Saints, but gained 89 yards despite the low number of touches. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith had a fairly easy time passing the ball, with the Saints not succeeding in putting pressure on him and fielding a defense that gives up big passing plays.

However, this week against the New York Giants, Smith is going to have more trouble. The Giants field a ferocious pass rush that's only got more impressive in the playoffs.

New York sacked Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan twice and hit him seven times in their Wild Card Round matchup. Last week, they sacked the Green Bay Packers'  Aaron Rodgers on four occasions and hit him five more times.

With pressure likely to come early and often, Smith isn't going to have much time to sit in the pocket and complete passes, making Gore's involvement in this game even more important.

The 2011 season has been a good one for Gore, with 282 carries for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns. That being said, when the Giants and Niners first met in Week 10, he had only six rushes for zero yards.

Though the 49ers ultimately won that contest, Gore will need to get significantly more carries on Sunday considering this game is going to look drastically different from their regular-season meeting.

The Giants defense has been up and down against the run in the postseason, giving up just 64 rushing yards against the Falcons and 147 against the Packers.

This has more to do with a shifting defensive focus than an indication of inconsistency, and Gore's effectiveness will depend heavily on how the Giants plan to attack the 49ers offense.

If they focus in on Smith, Gore will have an easier time gaining meaningful yards. If they are as keyed in on Gore as they are on the passing game, however, it will be significantly more difficult for him to make an impact.

However, that doesn't mean that the 49ers should consider abandoning the run. That would play directly into the hands of the Giants defense and would set them up for failure. Instead, they must continue to give Gore the ball and hope that a ground attack wears down the Giants' defensive front, eventually leading to big gains.

Without a balance on offense, the 49ers will struggle against the Giants' strong defense. That means Gore needs to play a bigger role than he did last week and than he did when New York and San Francisco met in the regular season.

Gore is the key to a 49ers victory, even if he doesn't rack up a great deal of yards. If he gets 20 or more carries, San Francisco should find themselves in a good position to win.