49ers vs. Falcons: NFC Championship post-game reaction from Atlanta

The San Francisco 49ers traveled to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Falcons, upsetting the No. 1 seed at home. The Niners played a hard-fought game against a tough Falcons team that ran away with this game early. But the 49ers battled through adversity to advance to their sixth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Look, I understand the frustration. You want the Lombardi. But 31 teams full of professional football players finish each season without it. If you need a few days, weeks, or months to get over this loss, I respect that. Take all the time you need. But we will be here. We won't give up on this franchise.

The game started out as best as we could've expected. We were up 17-0 in the first quarter, but the 49ers offense soon got its legs. Kaepernick can throw one heck of a ball, and he made us pay in the intermediate range. In many ways, the game resembled last week's victory against the Seahawks, except without the victory.

The Falcons fan base will be blue, but for so many reasons, they should be upbeat. The team has been steadily ascending, proving they are going to be one of those annual contenders. It was tough because they had an opportunity to capitalize on a year where their division rival, the New Orleans Saints, were suffering the backlash of "Bounty Gate."