Giants vs. 49ers Predictions: San Francisco Pass Rush Will Steal the NFC Show

The New York Giants bandwagon might be getting a little too heavy as it pulls into San Francisco Sunday night. If having home-field advantage has taught us anything this postseason, it's that the 49ers are just four quarters away from Indianapolis.

After all, home teams are 7-1 so far in the playoffs. 

Still, the Niners won't be counting on a rowdy crowd and gooey turf to tie down an NFC Championship title and trip to Super Bowl XLVI, rather they will look to their dominant defense which features one of the NFL's most underrated pass rushes.

Veteran Justin Smith and rookie Aldon Smith have been wrecking quarterbacks all season long, ultimately leading to a league-best 38 takeaways during the regular season for San Francisco's defense. The two Smith's combined for 21.5 of the team's 42 sacks in 2011.

This Niners team can beat opposing offenses in a variety of ways as evidenced last Saturday afternoon against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round. San Francisco stifled the Saints on the ground, holding them to just 37 rushing yards for the game. The 49ers also pressured Drew Brees into a couple of interceptions while forcing three additional fumbles on defense and special teams.

Bottom line, no team left on Championship Sunday can play defense as well and consistently all around the board than the San Francisco 49ers. They shut down the run week after week, ranking first in the league while allowing under 78 rushing yards per outing.

When teams abandon the run, they have no choice but to look to the pass, and that's why the Niners are 14-3 through 17 meaningful games this season. Passing is far from impossible against San Francisco's defense, which ranks middle-of-the-pack in that category, but it becomes much tougher when it's predictable.

It all starts up front on the defensive line for the 49ers on Sunday. Patrick Willis and the linebacking corps are among the best coverage backers in the league today, but oh, how much easier it is to fly to the ball when the two Smith's and that stout defensive line are constantly resetting the line of scrimmage back a few yards and hounding the opposing quarterback.

For as well as the Giants get after the quarterback—they did sack Aaron Rodgers four times last week at Green Bay—they don't boast a defense with the takeaway potential and outright motor that the Niners do.

Similar to the NFC West's Arizona Cardinals in 2008, the San Francisco 49ers are on a Cinderella run that won't end before the Super Bowl.