(By Daisy Barringer)

I’m not into feelings. I don’t like feeling anger or sadness. Don’t even get me started on disappointment, though it’s often one of the hardest to avoid. And so I try to be pretty mellow about things: work, friendship, boys, whatever. The thing is, I think we’re hard wired to have to feel feelings. And all of mine — all of them — go toward 49ers football.

I know I’m not alone in this. But I also know that there are people who think it’s silly to care so much about a game. Especially a game over which we have no control. If you’re one of those people, that’s okay. I get it. I really do. But, nonetheless, you’ll probably want to stop reading here, lest you roll your eyes right out of your head about what I’m going to say next...

The 49ers 23-17 loss to the Seahawks in yesterday’s NFC Championship Game was one of the hardest things I’ve had to watch in a long time. Well, since the Niners came up five yards short in New Orleans last February. The thing that made it so painful? We had it.

Before kickoff, my friends and I decorated our area at the bar with 49ers blankets, scarves, and flags. It’s the kind of thing that’s totally silly to do, but made perfect sense. Our boys were about to fight for their lives and we were giddy with anticipation. In fact, I’d spent the entire morning alternating between heavy sighs of terror and sporadic, uncontrollable bursts of tears.

But then the game started and Aldon Smith forced a Russell Wilson fumble and the first play from scrimmage and I just knew everything was going to be alright.

I was wrong.

Frankly, I don't feel like getting into the nitty-gritty. It’s too painful and too soon to relive all of it. There were some amazing moments in the game. Gore couldn’t get much going with the run game, but Colin Kaepernick ran like the gazelle that he is, rushing for 130 yards total. He also threw some great passes, including a stunning TD pass to Boldin to put the Niners up 17-10 in the third quarter.

That was the play during which my best friend gave me a high five… but missed my hand and instead hit me in the face. It was also when a complete stranger hugged me so hard that he split my lip open ever so slightly. For the rest of the game I tasted blood.

The defense also played well, but ultimately allowed Lynch to rush for more than 100 yards and gave up enough big plays that Seattle was able to take the lead on 4th-and-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

I’m not going to lie: I’m pissed at the refs. I thought they made several really horrendous calls, including the personal foul (helmet-to-helmet) on Whitner, the personal foul on Carlos Rogers when he pushed a receiver out of bounds, “running into the kicker” instead of “roughing the passer” when a Seahawks corner hit him in the leg (that one would have given the 49ers an automatic first down), and of course the one that will haunt me the longest: the non-call when NaVorro Bowman clearly recovered a fumble on the San Francisco 1-yard-line and also suffered a horrendous knee injury.

And here is why I think Seattle fans are classless idiots who don’t deserve a trip to the Super Bowl:

As Bowman was being carted to the locker room, his season clearly over, Seahawks threw food at him. Let me repeat that: The player whose amazing season just ended while he was recovering a fumble and was hurt so badly that he couldn’t even walk off of the field on his own? THEY THREW FOOD AT HIM.

Scum of the earth. And I mean that with every inch of my being. Just horrible, horrible, horrible people. It makes me sick to think about and as I type this, I’m getting teary.

That being said, I just want to thank Bowman for everything he did for the 49ers this year. He played his heart out and we wouldn’t have gotten to where we did without him. I am sick that got injured and even sicker about how Seahawks fans reacted, but I just hope that he has a speedy recovery and comes back next year with a vengeance.

But back to the refs… Ultimately, they call the game. It’s in their hands. And if they blow it, they blow it. There’s literally nothing anyone can do about it. They made some really bad calls, sure, but it was up the 49ers to win the game.

And it looked like they might be able to nab it. For once, the 49ers had three time outs as they began their final drive with 3:32 left. A drive on which they had to score a touchdown. Kap drove the ball down the field. He converted a 4th-and-2 with a 17 yard pass to Frank Gore. He threw a 16-yard completion to Crabtree on 3rd-and-2. And his 11-yard-pass to Vernon Davis gave the 49ers a first down at Seattle’s 18-yard-line.

Thirty seconds left. Two timeouts. I was now huddled in a corner, tears brimming, willing it to happen. We could do this. This was ours to win. Just 18 more yards and the 49ers were going to the Super Bowl. THE SUPER BOWL.

Instead, Kap’s pass to Crabtree was deflected by Richard Sherman and intercepted.

And Seattle’s going to the Super Bowl. The 49ers are going home.

I haven’t cried like that in a long, long time. Boys in real life can’t break my heart because my heart belongs to the 49ers. I know the Niners didn’t do it on purpose, but yesterday they took my heart, gave me every reason to believe, and then let me down in the most brutal way possible. I mean, it was bad enough to lose, but to let Richard Sherman be the reason why?

I’m too scared to even talk smack about the dude because he clearly should be in an insane asylum and not on a football field and I feel like if I said what I really thought of him, he wouldn’t hesitate to hunt me down. But I don’t even need to say it because everyone who was watching the post-game interview with Erin Andrews saw it. He’s a poor sport. He has no class. He’s rude, he’s disrespectful, and it just sucks that a guy like him gets a chance to play in the Super Bowl. The good thing? He’s not on my team and I would never want him on my team.

If I sound a little bitter, by the way, it’s because I am. I’m bitter. I’m sad. I’m defeated. And I’m totally exhausted.

Kaepernick said he cost the 49ers the game during his post-game interview and while I don’t like to put all of the blame on one guy, it’s hard not to look at his three turnovers in the fourth quarter (a fumble and two interceptions) and think that those made all of the difference.

But as Patrick Willis said: “We win as a team, we lose as a team.” And he’s right. Because it doesn’t matter who cost us the game. The fact of the matter is: we lost. And it sucks and it hurts and it probably will for a little while. My suggestion: Stay far away from ESPN. The Super Bowl coverage is not going to help anyone heal from this wound.

No, the only thing that will do that is the post-season (well that and a Broncos victory in New York). Knowing that the 49ers have been to the NFC Championship Game in all three years that Harbaugh has coached. That we have one of the best defense in the NFL and a young quarterback who is athletic and motivated and can only get better. Sure, there are a lot of things up in the air for the players on the team, but I believe we will make another run for the Super Bowl next year. And I believe we can make it.

I love this team. I love them so much. And even though I am devastated today, I don’t want to end this without letting them know how much I appreciate everything they do. They work hard. They play hard. And they inspire me every day. Sure, the Seahawks and the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl, but there is nothing I would rather be than a 49ers’ fan. I bleed red and gold (proven by the fat lip I received) and I will for the rest of my life. But this team—this team right here and right now? There’s something special there. And I’m glad I’m here to witness it.

They say the higher you climb, the farther you fall. It’s what makes being a football fan so intense and so emotional. Because we got to the NFC Championship, this loss hurts worse than any other of the season. But I’d rather get there and lose than not get there at all.

Still…I feel like I’m still falling. It’s going to be a rough couple of days. And so, for now, I thank you for following along with me all season. For being such amazing fans. And for believing that next year is our year.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel like getting out of bed, but right now? It’s time to put the covers back over my head and have one more good cry.

Go Niners.

At the half, San Francisco leads Seattle 10-3. Hoping to become known for more than just his choice in pants, Coach Harbaugh was reportedly flirting with immortality. We worried he might strain his neck:

According to the statistics machines at ESPN, three of Colin Kaepernick's five worst games were in Seattle. He had a meager 17 yards at the half. On the other hand, here's a gif of Russell Wilson getting slammed by the Niners defense.

Macklemore, who is Seattle's most famous white guy radio voice since Fraiser Crane, played the halftime show with oft-forgotten companion Ryan Lewis. There's no ceiling at CenturyLink Field, so they couldn't be held anyway.

Right back from the half, Marshawn Lynch — a former Cal running back from Oakland who also goes by the name of "Beast Mode" — tied the game with a 40-yard touchdown run. Kaepernick responded with a long ball that found Anquan Boldin far down field and square in the end zone. 17-13 San Francisco.

It's 41 degrees in Seattle tonight, but Seattle superfan and former bodybuilder Tim Froemke was out in character as the Seahulk, as he has been all season:

Niners defensive superstar NaVorro Bowman was out of the game in the fourth quarter, after stripping the ball from Seattle's Jermaine Kearse. Bowman's leg bent in some unnatural ways and had to be carted off the field. The Seahawks picked up three more points on a field goal to make it 23-17.

On a last-chance drive for the Niners, Kaepernick's pass for Crabtree was broken up by Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman and caught by Malcom Smith to pretty much end the season. Oh well, we'll always have Colin Kaepernick NSFW.

(By: Daisy Barringer) Here’s how important this game is to me: I unexpectedly lost my job this week, but I haven’t even had time or inclination to mope about it or start looking for a new job because all I care about is the 49ers beating the holy hell out of the Seahawks on Sunday. Like, losing a job I can handle. Losing the game on Sunday? I won’t be able to get out of bed for weeks and since that means I won’t be able to find a new job, I won’t be able to pay my rent and come spring, I’ll be on the streets eating out of and sleeping in dumpsters. In short: The 49ers losing on Sunday will result in my being homeless. AND NO I AM NOT BEING DRAMATIC.

But that’s not even why the 49ers need to win. They need to win because someone needs to make those insufferable Seachickens’ fans shut their mouths. Oh. And because if we win, WE GO TO THE SUPER BOWL.

Everyone thinks the Seahawks have this, no problem. In fact, a super official poll on ESPN had every single state, except for California, picking Seattle. Honestly, that’s fine. I like it. The 49ers—and Colin Kaepernick especially—do better when they’re viewed as the underdog. The Seahawks are only favored by 3.5 points though and considering they have home-field advantage, it shows that Vegas at least views this as a pretty even match-up.

A match-up I truly believe the 49ers can win as long as they don’t let their emotions get the better of them and don’t turn over the ball.

Let’s take a look at how it’s going to go down:

The Good

The Niners are on a hot streak. They’ve won their last eight games straight, including a win against Seattle in SF.

The 49ers are being coached by one of the best guys in the league. Harbaugh has been the 49ers coach for three years and the 49ers have gone to the NFC Championship game in all three of those years.

Kaepernick is 3-0 in playoff games on the road. This is huge because even though this is the fourth consecutive road game for the 49ers, Kap has shown he has what it takes to win games no matter where he’s playing.

The Seahawks passing game in recent weeks has sucked. They’ve averaged less than 100 yards passing in the last five games and QB Russell Wilson’s passer rating is an astounding 77.3. Yes, Seattle has a sick defense, but they need the offense to score in order to win and between Russell Wilson’s unwillingness to take chances and Seattle’s mediocre receiving corps, I just don’t see that happening.

Meanwhile, Kap has been playing well lately. Does Kap have room for improvement, as Joe Montana said this week? Absolutely. We’ve seen him stumble more than once this season. However, with Crabtree, Boldin, and Davis there to make catches, I think he has an edge up on Wilson this week.

Back to the Seattle receivers. Starter Sidney Rice is on IR and it’s unknown if Percy Harvin (concussion) will be able to play. Golden Tate is pretty good, sure, but again, I just don't see him or Baldwin making big plays. I don’t root for injuries, but I won’t cry if Harvin can’t start. Of course, if he does, he’ll probably just get injured in the first series, so I guess it’s not that big of a deal.

The 49ers defense. Okay, yes, Seattle’s defense is good. Great even. But let me just throw a few names out there: NaVorrro Bowman. Patrick Willis. Aldon Smith. Ahmad Brooks. Justin Smith. Shall I list more or shall I stop at this? And yes, I just butchered a line from Romeo and Juliet in an article about football. You’re welcome.

Seattle may not lose at home often, but they do lose at home. In fact, they recently lost at home against the Cardinals, a team the 49ers beat twice this season. If anyone can beat them in their own house during the playoffs, it’s the San Francisco 49ers.

The Bad

This is the 4th consecutive road game for the 49ers. I know I just said that wasn’t a big deal, but let’s not pretend it doesn’t matter a little bit because it does. Luckily, it’s also a very short trip for the Niners. What matters is…

The noise in Seattle. It’s loud up there and everyone knows it. Clearly this makes it very hard for Kap to call plays and for the O-line to hear the snap count. Gotta love Kaepernick though. When asked about how difficult it would be to communicate the play calls this week due to the noise, he just shrugged and said, “It’s a little bit louder in Seattle.”

Marshawn Lynch. When Seattle doesn’t find success with the passing game, they’re going to give the ball to Lynch and let him do his thing. There is no doubt that Lynch is a great running back. Of course, there’s also no doubt that the Niners are effective at stopping the run. Should be interesting to watch.

Frank Gore. Gore only had 16 yards against the Seahawks (on 9 carries) in Seattle earlier this year. There are so many factors to look at there—including the fact that the 49ers really only had one viable wideout that Seattle had to cover (I mean, besides Kyle Williams—remember him?)—but the fact of the matter is, the Niners win when Gore has a good day. People may disagree, but I think it’s imperative that Gore has a big day if the Niners are going to win this game.

Seattle’s secondary. I despise Richard Sherman. I was reared not to hate anyone, but I think I hate him. Okay: I KNOW I hate him. The thing is though? The guy talks excessive amounts of smack because he can. Yes, he cheats and the Seahawks get away with more pass interference and defensive holding than any other team in the league, but it doesn’t get called so it doesn’t matter. We have great receivers, for sure, but whoever goes against Sherman is going to have a looooong day.

Play-calling. The 49ers play calling is clearly incredibly complicated and confusing. It is why we’ve burned timeouts and had delays of game. The 49ers MUST simplify things or we are going to find ourselves at the end of the game without a much-needed timeout. It is simply too loud in Seattle to make Kap have to listen to and then audible seventeen hundred plays.

Seattle’s good. They won the NFC West. They had a great season. They’re definitely a formidable opponent. Luckily, I think the 49ers know and respect that, whereas I think Seattle players are a little cocky. That being said, if Seattle’s defense can score on the Niners, it’s going to be hard to recover from that.

The Rest of It

This game is going to be intense. Like terrifyingly intense. My hope is that the 49ers can get into the heads of the Seahawks players and force them to react emotionally instead of intelligently. On the flip side, I need the 49ers to bring everything they have, but not get any stupid penalties for things that happen after the play. (Or during the play, for that matter.)

I hate Pete Carroll. I know I just said it’s wrong to hate people, but I can’t stand him and his stupid cud-chewing cow face. As a kid, I was only allowed to chew gum in the privacy of my bedroom and I thought it was ridiculous, but now I can say it’s one of the few things my mom got right. As usual, I hope he chokes on his gum and that one of players gives him the Heimlich only he does it too hard and Pete Carroll has to be taken the ER for broken ribs. Or something along those super vague lines.

The weather. Always worth mentioning. There’s a 20% chance of rain, but it shouldn’t be a factor. Temps will be in the mid-40s. This is good news for the 49ers, even if they did just beat Green Bay in Artic-like conditions. (Also, how can it be in the mid-40s when it’s seriously t-shirt weather everywhere else on the west coast?)

A really, really moronic Seahawks’ fans got a Super Bowl XLVIII Champs tattoo this week. I’m sorry, but that’s a jinx if I’ve ever seen one.

Lastly, there’s so much more that could be said about this matchup; I could probably write 3000 more words on the topic, but I think it all comes down to this: Seattle needs 12 men to win. The 49ers do it all of the time with just 11.

We’ve got this. GO NINERS!

Watch San Francisco at Seattle on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. PST on FOX.

Understanding why Dodgers fans are deplorable is a no-brainer. Giants fans, rightfully so, treat them like their creepy second cousin on the sex offenders registry. Every family has one, but no one wants to have him over for dinner. What about Seattle Seahawk fans, though? Why, seemingly all of the sudden, are they so bad? And why has this comparatively nascent rivalry turned so ugly?

To find out more, SFist asked our 49ers columnist Daisy Barringer to tell us more. Of the rivalry, she explains:

I don't actually believe there was a rivalry until recently, but it's almost as if by hating the 49ers, the Seahawks fans are legitimating themselves. Their team has barely ever mattered and now they're good, but historically, we are better which drives them bananas, even though they scoff any time we bring up our five rings. Mostly though, any time you get two teams in the same division who are good and live close enough that there are going to be transplants from both cities living in the other, you're going to get some good strong fan hatred.

As for her own opinions about Seattle fans, she leaves little room for ambiguity:

Personally I can't stand them because they run their mouths off, but don't have much to back it up. They won the NFC West this year, sure, but we went to the Super Bowl last year. They're also very quick to insult our actual city and they insist on calling Kaepernick a thug, despite the fact that he is pretty much the opposite. Also, they just get butt-hurt super easily, like over the Dre Beats commercial, for example.

Mostly, I think they're just defensive, but also too cocky for what they've achieved. Right now they are literally my LEAST favorite fan base in the entire NFL and that's saying a lot.

Or, maybe it's the fact that Starbucks honors Seahawks fans with 12 cent coffees Friday. Psh.