Reasons to Believe1. Defence Wins Championships - And the 49ers are returning a great defence. The Niners were all but impossible to run the ball against last season, giving up a league-low 77.3 yards per game and were second in the NFL allowing a paltry 14.3 points. All of their starters from a year ago are back and the 49ers should be just as fearsome on all three-levels once again. 2. Giveaway/Takeaway - No team in the NFL was better in the turnover department than the Niners. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio makes his players work on creating turnovers every day and it paid off with a league-high 38 takeaways last season. On the other side of the ball the team was the best at keeping the ball secured with only 10 giveaways on the year. When you win the turnover battle, you win games. 3. Weapons of Moss Destruction- Alex Smith had his best season as a pro last year and was called on to do little more than manage football games. The offence could expand this year though as the 49ers have signigicantly improved their depth at receiver with the additions of Moss, Manningham and Jenkins to help Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Having more options in the passing game should also help open up the running game for Frank Gore. If the offence is even marginally better than it was last year, the 49ers are going to be a tough out come playoff time. Reasons to Doubt1. The Backup Plan - How does Alex Smith respond to the 49ers off-season? He just had his best year and the team went all out in pursuit of a quarterback who just missed a year of football recovering from multiple neck surgeries. Yes, that quarterback is Peyton Manning, one of the best ever, but it cant help Smiths confidence knowing he was second choice. The 49ers cannot afford to have him regress to his old inconsistent ways. 2. Ticking Time Bomb - Will Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham and Randy Moss be able to co-exist in the San Francisco locker room. All three have a history of attitude and personality problems. Moss likely isnt the best example for young receivers given his penchant for taking plays off, Crabtree has had his problems since day one and Manningham has an over-inflated view of his own abilities. All three are talented for sure, but keeping them all in line might prove troublesome. 3. Pass Protection - The 49ers offensive line was excellent at blocking for the run last season but struggled at times in pass protection. If the 49ers want to expand their playbook they will need to give Alex Smith ample time to go through his reads given his limitations as a quarterback. If they dont, Smiths impressive interception total is sure to rise. What to Expect.The 49ers are the best team in their division and may just have the best defence in the NFL. For them not win the NFC West again, despite the improvement of other teams in the division, would be an absolute shock. The bigger question for San Francisco is whether theyve done enough to get themselves to the next level, ie. the Super Bowl. The defence will be among the leagues elite again and the offence will likely be at least a little less conservative. Cheap Jerseys From China . On his Twitter page, the Yankees right-handed reliever wrote on Thursday: "Update for everyone! Bullpen tomorrow, 1 step closer!! Thank u for all the support!!" He previously had thrown off a half-height mound to help regain his form since he was hurt bouncing on a trampoline with his son on March 22. Cheap Jerseys China . "I apologize to all NBA fans. This was an unacceptable decision by the San Antonio Spurs and substantial sanctions will be forthcoming. http://www.nfljerseysch... . 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland swept past former champion Greta Arn 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the ASB Classic. [url=http://www.nfljerseyschinawholesalecheaponsale.com/]nfljerseyschinawholesal... . On Tuesday, the club announced that forward Gabriel Landeskog has been named team captain. [url=http://www.nfljerseyschinawholesalecheaponsale.com/]Cheap Jerseys . Houston (13-8-10) remained one point ahead of Columbus for the fifth and the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Houston extended its home unbeaten streak to 23 games, with the last home loss coming June 18, 2011, against the Crew.(Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints are out of mulligans. New Orleans put itself squarely behind the 8-ball with a disastrous 0-4 start before rebounding by winning five of six. That momentum was halted, however, by a Week 12 hiccup against the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers in the Big Easy. Things dont get any easier this week for the Saints, who must travel to 10-1 Atlanta on short notice for an important NFC South matchup. "Its a quick turnaround for us," said New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. "Weve got to get to their place, weve got to get prepared and weve got to put it all together. Weve got a huge game on the road against the leader of our division. This is how you feel better, to go on and get a win." Normally this might shake out well for New Orleans, the far more desperate team but this is also a revenge game for Atlanta, which suffered its only loss of the season in the bayou back on Nov. 11. The Falcons can also wrap up the NFC South with a win and a Tampa Bay loss or tie at Denver on Sunday. "The margin for error is very slight right now. Weve kind of used up our nine lives," Brees said. "So weve got to really bear down here and just understand whats at stake every time we step on the field." Trailing by four, 31-27, with two minutes to play in the Big Easy earlier this month Matt Ryan led the Falcons down to the New Orleans 1-yard line before the Saints defense stiffened and kept Atlanta out of the end zone to secure the victory in Week 10. Things didnt shake out as well last Sunday when the 49ers Colin Kaepernick threw for a touchdown and ran for another, while Ahmad Brooks and Donte Whitner each returned interceptions for scores as San Francisco put a big dent in the Saints playoff hopes with a 31-21 victory. Brees, who has joined Brett Favre (nine) and Peyton Manning (six) as the only signal-callers with 30 touchdown passes in five different seasons, threw for 267 yards, three touchdowns and the two interceptions on 26- for-41 passing for the 5-6 Saints, but was mainly kept in check by a 49ers defense which racked up five sacks. "I felt like we played well enough to win in a lot of areas," Brees said. "Whats glaring is the two turnovers that resulted in touchdowns for them. That cant happen." Marques Colston also became the Saints all-time leader in touchdowns against San Francisco, finishing with 36 yards and a score on four receptions as New Orleans had its three-game win streak snapped. Atlanta, meanwhile, has lived on the edge more than once this season and did so again last Sunday when Michael Turner barreled in for the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, as the Falcons escaped Raymond James Stadium with a 24-23 win over the Buccaneers. The outcome gave Atlanta a stranglehold on the NFC South and ended Tampa Bays four-game winning streak. Ryan, coming off a five-interception performance against Arizona, turned it over twice but completed an efficient 26-of-32 for 353 yards, including an 80- yard touchdown heave to Julio Jones. Jones, who was listed as questionable because of a sore ankle, caught six passes for 147 yards. "You can always count on a close game when you come down to play an NFC South game," Falcons head coach Mike Smith said. "That was a hard-fought game." The Falcons lead the all-time series with the Saints 45-41 but the New Orleans has taken four straight and 11 of the past 13. The Saints also have won three straight at Atlanta, each by three points. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Brees threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns scores against the Falcons earlier this month and is a gaudy 11-2 wwith a stellar 100.dddddddddddd6 passer rating versus Atlanta since he joined the Saints in 2006. But as good as Brees is and has been against the Falcons, the New Orleans defense needs to step up against the high-powered Falcons. The Saints defense ranks last in the NFL, giving up 454.8 yards per game but has shown a few signs recently, stopping Atlanta on the goal line late a few weeks ago and allowing a season-low 375 yards against San Francisco. Ryan has multiple weapons at his disposal and can beat you in a number of ways. Roddy White, who has the most receptions in the NFC since 2007 with 538, Jones, who has 12 catches for 203 yards in his last two games against NOLA, and Tony Gonzalez are all top-tier threats in the passing game while Turner, although a descending player, and scatback Jacquizz Rodgers can both be tough to deal with in the running game. Overall the Falcons rank eighth in the NFL scoring at 26.7 points per game and sixth in total offense with 385.9 yards per game. "They are a good football team," Saints defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said when discussing the Falcons. "I take my hat off to them -- they are resilient. They play the Arizona Cardinals, throw five interceptions and have another turnover for a total of six and they find a way to win the game. They are very resilient. They are talented. Their record speaks for itself in who they are and what they are." Conversely stopping Brees seems to always be a conundrum for Atlanta and could prove even tougher on Thursday since cornerback Asante Samuel and defensive tackle Peria Jerry are both looking like game-time decisions. "Theyve done a good job all season long of just making plays in critical situations," Brees said when talking about the Falcons. "Theyve been able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback which has allowed them the opportunity to get a lot of turnovers and provide some opportunities to their offense. You just look them throughout the season, theyve won a lot of close games and, obviously, have played very consistent throughout." Samuel (shoulder) and Jerry (quad) both missed practice for a second consecutive day on Tuesday. Having Samuel, a big play guy outside the numbers is particularly important against a quarterback like Brees. "Were going to have to go up to game time to see where hes at in making a decision on whether (Samuel is) going to be able to play or not," Smith said. OVERALL ANALYSIS Historically the Falcons have all kinds of problems with Brees and you can bet they dont want to leave open the possibility of seeing him again in the playoffs. "Every game is important," Brees said. "Were still in November. Listen, that doesnt lessen the sense of urgency. We understand how important this game is but were not labeling it as anything other than the next game on a short week against arguably, according to records, the top team in the NFC and we have our work cut out for us." The Saints may be far more desperate but Atlanta has plenty to play for also. The Falcons could deliver the death blow to New Orleans faint playoff hopes this week while inching closer to the NFC South title. The short week and the lack of preparation also trends toward the home team. Meanwhile, Ryan is the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win 31 of his first 35 starts at home. "We played New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, so that game and their schemes are probably still fresh in our minds," said Ryan. "Weve done this before. We know how to handle the short week. Its just going to take a good effort this week." Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Falcons 27, Saints 24 ' ' '