49ers snap count vs. Falcons: About A.J. Jenkins, the nickel and special teams

The 49ers are off to the Super Bowl following a 28-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game! It was a wild game that saw the 49ers storm back from a 17-0 deficit, keyed by avoiding the panic button in the first half.

We have the snap count numbers following Sunday's game, and we can take note of a few things. The most notable might very well be Chad Hall getting a snap, while A.J. Jenkins got none. Jenkins and Alex Smith were the only active players to not receive a snap.

While we cannot say with 100% certainty what this means, it does not strike me as a good thing. Jenkins has received little playing time, and in his limited time he has not made the best of impressions. It is way too early to make any proclamations about his future as an NFL player, but I do think it is safe to say he has his work cut out for him this offseason.

The 49ers went with their nickel defense for much of Sunday's game. The opening drive featured the nickel, but they proceeded to mix in some of their base 3-4 from time to time. They did not need to show a whole lot of the base defense because the nickel was doing plenty good work shutting down the run. It struggled against the pass throughout the first half, but adjustments were made in the second half. Matt Ryan was 18 of 24 for 271 yards in the first half, and 12 of 18 for 125 yards in the second half.

Ryan was finding some spots here and there in the second half, but there was a dramatic difference in the Falcons passing attack. A perfect example was the dump-off to Tony Gonzalez well short of the first down marker on third down deep in their own territory.

Lost amidst the commotion of the season has been the return to form of the 49ers coverage units. Since the loss of Demarcus Dobbs, Darcel McBath has been the leading special teams player in terms of snaps. The primary unit consists of McBath, Bruce Miller, Anthony Dixon, Michael Wilhoite, C.J. Spillman, Tavares Gooden, Larry Grant and Tramaine Brock. They fly under the radar, but that group has done some great work for the 49ers in the second half of the season as the punt coverage unit in particular has kept teams backed up plenty deep.

You can read through the entire Gamebook HERE (PDF).

Offense had 55 total plays.

Defense had 67 total plays.

Here is the special teams breakdown for the entire team:

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