NFC Championship game 2013 odds: 49ers vs. Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons will play a home game for the NFC Championship game as the top seed in the conference, and yet they are underdogs to the traveling San Francisco 49ers.

According to OddsShark, the 49ers opened as 3.5 favorites to win the game, but that line has moved even further in their favor since. On some books, you can find the 49ers as 5-point favorites, which is actually record-breaking.

Since the expanded playoff structure in 1978, the Falcons now the biggest underdog any No. 1 seed has ever been in any round. Given the high level of play at this stage of the playoffs and the fact that the game will be played in the Georgia Dome, the numbers are almost overwhelming.

So why the skewed numbers? Does Vegas simply think the 49ers are that much better than the Falcons.

Probably ... but there's also the recent history to look at. Expecting 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to go out and run for nearly 200 yards for the second-straight week isn't realistic at all, but when you take a big picture look at the way San Francisco dominated the Green Bay Packers in the second half, it's easy to ride the hype.

Atlanta certainly didn't help their case by almost losing to the Seattle Seahawks. Tony Gonzalez caught a 19-yard pass with 13 seconds left and the Falcons managed to kick a field goal to win the game, but it was a less-than stellar outing from their entire offense, which is their bread and butter.

Against San Francisco's No. 2-ranked defense, that simply won't do.