Carolina @ San Francisco preview
Candlestick Park
Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2010 ) San Francisco 20, Carolina 23
Even in the midst of a four-game win streak, the Carolina Panthers aren't considered by many experts to be among the NFC's elite, a notion they could change with a road win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The streaking Panthers have cruised to four straight wins by 15 points or more, but they won't even be the hottest team in the stadium. The 49ers are riding a five-game win streak as they come off a bye week.
It's also a matchup of two of the league's top, young quarterbacks, as Carolina's Cam Newton and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick look to continue leading powerful offenses with their arms and legs. "They're so similar, in ability and makeup and confidence, in so many ways," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. "They're both great." The Panthers have won the past three meetings, including a 23-20 victory in the most recent contest in 2010 and a 37-27 win in their last trip to San Francisco in 2004.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: San Francisco -6.5. O/U: 43.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (5-3): Carolina's offense has flourished of late, topping 30 points in four straight games and five of the past six. Newton has returned to the dynamic form he showed as a rookie, completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,801 yards and 13 TDs and rushing for 251 yards and four scores. The defense has provided a big assist, though, as the Panthers have forced at least one turnover in every game and have recorded three or more takeaways four times.
ABOUT THE 49ERS (6-2): The defending NFC champions had a couple of early stumbles in ugly losses to Seattle and Indianapolis, but they've been nothing short of dominant while winning five straight. The 49ers rank last in the league in passing, but they've rolled up an NFL-best 153 yards per game on the ground and have limited their mistakes during the winning streak. The defense has been solid against the run and the pass and has forced 13 turnovers the past five games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The 49ers activated LB Aldon Smith from the reserve list during their bye week, but he is listed as questionable for Sunday.
2. Carolina has run 261 running plays for 1,041 yards and 261 passing plays for 1,621 yards.
3. San Francisco WR Michael Crabtree (Achilles) was cleared to return to practice Tuesday, and the 49ers have a three-week window to determine whether to activate him from the reserve list.
PREDICTION: 49ers 26, Panthers 23