Losing Michael Crabtree to an Achilles injury puts added pressure on second-year starter Colin Kaepernick, who figures to see better schemes on top of losing a top target. ...more

Free agency will definitely shuffle the deck. But Pat Kirwan turns some inside chats into his third in a series of mock drafts. ...more

The Chiefs are solving needs (Alex Smith, Dwayne Bowe and Branden Albert), which leads me to believe a quarterback or an offensive tackle will not be their top pick. If they can't trade out, then Dee Milliner makes the most sense. ...more

Whichever team gets to the quarterback will be the team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Pat Kirwan says the play of Terrell Suggs for Baltimore and Aldon Smith for San Francisco should be the deciding factor. ...more

Refs are calling fewer penalties in the playoffs, which is not surprising. Just let 'em play! ...more

San Francisco's decision to bench Alex Smith for Colin Kaepernick comes with huge risk, Pat Kirwan says. ...more

If the 49ers keep it up, Pat Kirwan says they could move back to No. 1. But for now, unbeaten Houston and Atlanta hold the top two positions. ...more

Pat Kirwan says it's a toss-up between the 3-0 Texans and the 3-0 Falcons for the top spot in his ratings of the NFL's 32 teams. This week he goes with Atlanta at No. 1 ...more

We begin seeing trends in Week 3s. One -- replacement officials trying to regain control -- could result in player ejections. Pat Kirwan says the Rams will try to get under Jay Cutler's skin and C.J. Spiller is dangerous in the shotgun. ...more

The San Francisco 49ers are the top top team this week in Pat Kirwan's NFL rankings, with the best defense in the NFL and an improving Alex Smith. ...more