I'm a bit punchy right now because i was up till 3 AM rewatching the game...lol. Forgive me if my spelling or typing isn't the greatest.
1) Kaepernick: Yes, he had issues with the snap. I dunno how much of that is him, how much was Goodwin, or how much was weather related. Any way you look at it, it needs to be fixed. Period. They got lucky that they recovered those fumbles, but even with the recoveries they did kill drives. This game could have been COMPLETELY out of the Patriots reach.
Having said all that. WOW. If you don't think Harbaugh knew what he was doing when he put this kid in, I don't know what you're watching. 4 TDs. All over 20 yards out and 2 over 30 yards out. He threw a pick (young QB mistake...never saw the backside safety) and came out on the next drive an DRILLED a pass to Crabtree over the middle for a TD. The kid is NAILS. He doesn't get nervous. He doesn't get rattled. When he makes a mistake he responds with NO FEAR. This was just his 5th freakin start and he just beat New England IN New England in DECEMBER. Incredible. He beat the Bears on Monday Night, he beat the Saints in NO and now NE in NE. Young QBs dont just do that. It doesn't happen.
2) Defense First Half: Holy sh*tballs wow. CRUSHING the Pats at every turn. Goldson/Whitner makign their presence felt. Niner LBs playing line Niner LBs. DOMINATION.
3) Defense Second Half: Not so much of the above. LOL. I think they relaxed thinking they had this one in the bag, got into a funk and just couldn't get out. There were some bad calls (the PI on Brown), but it should never have been that close. You can't relax on Brady. No lead is to big to overcome. I hope they learned the lesson...once you dig the hole in the ground, you still have to kick them in and start throwing dirt back in the hole.
4) Offense Game Plan: Drove me crazy. Great calls to start the game and then they got way, way too conservative. The only things that kept Kaep from putting up 6 TDs (or more) was conservative playcalling when they got way up and Vernons complete inability to lay out for a pass. They need to step on the other teams throat and KILL them. Again...I hope they learned a valuable lesson. You can't relax in this league. It will come back and bite you.
5) Crabtree: Again, playing like the player we thought he would be when he was drafted.
6) NE Passing yards: Just a note...the Niners did relax in the second half and they shouldn't have...but Brady threw 65 freakin passes. SIXTY-FIVE!! That is flat nuts. The Niner D was GASSED in a big way and the pass rush just could get to him until late. Still...440+ yards on the 65 attempts, but only a single TD and 2 picks.
7) Walker: Sigh. I like the guy....but does he just have the worst hands on the team? He didn't have any drops, but he fumbled at the 5. Again. Over the years I seem to remember him fumbling the ball at LEAST 3 or 4 other times in the redzone. The guy is so athletic and he can get open...but he is damn frustrating sometimes.
8) Akers: Really starting to lose patience here.
9) Justin: YIKES!!! PLEASE be OK. I dunno if the Niners can afford to lose him. He is the engine that makes that front 7 go. If they lose him for a few games...fine, but they NEED him back for the playoffs. Of course, having him back this week would be even better.
10) Playoffs: Yeah baby. Its official. Back to the playoffs. No matter what happens now they have their spot in the tournament. As the Giants have proved, thats all you need to do. The rest is just gravy. They have now also proved that they can go on the road and beat good teams in bad weather. This crucible over the last portion of the season is the perfect learning ground for Kaep. 3 primetime games. In NO. In NE. In Seattle. I can't wait till January.