San Francisco 49ers' Road To Super Bowl XLVII

49ers' Road To The Super Bowl
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, JAN. 26-27 - FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012, file photo, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates with quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) after Kaepernick's 56-yard touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game in San Francisco. Harbaugh made a switch at the most important position on a football field, going from veteran starting quarterback Alex Smith, he of the 18-for-19 passing day in Week 8 and third-in-the-league 104.1 passer rating after what turned out to be his last start, to untested, second-year backup Colin Kaepernick. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, JAN. 26-27 - FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012, file photo, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates with quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) after Kaepernick's 56-yard touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game in San Francisco. Harbaugh made a switch at the most important position on a football field, going from veteran starting quarterback Alex Smith, he of the 18-for-19 passing day in Week 8 and third-in-the-league 104.1 passer rating after what turned out to be his last start, to untested, second-year backup Colin Kaepernick. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

Jim Harbaugh's decision to switch quarterbacks during the San Francisco 49ers' season made all the difference to the two players involved, but you'd hardly tell that such a monumental shift occurred merely by looking at the team's win-loss record.

With Alex Smith under center, the 49ers opened up with a 6-2 record. In their first game back from a Week 9 bye, Smith suffered a concussion against the Rams and second-year, second-stringer Colin Kaepernick took over. That game resulted in a rare tie but San Francisco soon got back to its winning ways. Following two straight Kaepernick-powered wins, Harbaugh chose to go with the "hot hand" even though Smith was available. A week later, coming off a loss to the Rams, Harbaugh decided to stick with Kaepernick and never looked back.

The result? Kaepernick went 5-2 as the starting quarterback to finish the regular season, then delivered two stunning performances in the playoffs leading the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII.

Before Super Bowl XLVII kicks off, take a look back the 49ers' road to New Orleans:

Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers

49ers' Road To Super Bowl XLVII

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