5 times Colin Kaepernick made the difference on the field in the NFL

Colin Kaepernick is a hot topic around the NFL today, but when he became a starter in the league in the middle of the 2012 season, the quarterback took the NFL by storm. He surpassed Alex Smith on the depth chart after Smith was sidelined for a concussion and never looked back.

Even though his level of play fell off in his last two years in the league, Kaepernick was still a good enough player to be on an active roster when he left the 49ers in 2017. From 2012 to 2016, when he was a 49ers starter for most of the time, there was a lot to like from his style of play.

Let's rewind the clock and look back at five times that Colin Kaepernick dominated the NFL on the field.

5 times Colin Kaepernick made the difference on the field in the NFL

#1 - First game as a starter against the Bears, 2012

Kaepernick was fantastic in his first game as an NFL starter when he played the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 11 of the 2012 season. He threw for 246 yards in 23 attempts and completed 16 passes, two of them being touchdowns.

The 49ers improved to 7-2-1 that day and sparked controversy about who was going to be the starter for the remainder of the season: Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick.

#2 - Beating New England and the Patriots at Foxboro in primetime, 2012

In one of the best games of that regular season, the 49ers flew to the East to face the New England Patriots in primetime.

While Tom Brady and the Patriots were dominating that season, it was Kaepernick who walked away with the victory. The 49ers had to mount a furious comeback after they opened 31-3 on the score and New England tied, but San Francisco was still able to get a great victory.

San Francisco 49ers v New England Patriots

#3 - Killing the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, 2012

In a game full of expectations for the NFC Divisional Round, the San Francisco 49ers, coming from a bye week in the first round, saw Kaepernick with a nearly perfect game in his first playoff appearance, dominating both through the air and in the ground en route to a 45-31 win against the Green Bay Packers.

Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns that day, a rushing record in the postseason for the 49ers regardless of their position. He also passed for 263 yards and two more touchdowns.

The Packers, who had won the Super Bowl two years earlier, had absolutely no answer for Kaepernick that night.

#4 - Large comeback in the NFC Championship Game, 2012

A week later, in those 2012 playoffs, it was the 49ers who suffered to get it going against a furious offense, as the Atlanta Falcons had no problem opening up a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.

With the Falcons holding the first seed and playing at home, it looked like they were going to have an easy afternoon.

Well, Kaepernick wasn't going to let them get away easily. He completed 76,1% of his passes with 233 yards and a touchdown in just 16 completions, leading the 49ers to an improbable comeback win and propelling them to their first Super Bowl appearance since Steve Young did the same in 1994.

#5 - Another win against the Packers on the playoffs, 2013

In the 2013 NFC Wild Card round, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Green Bay to play in one of the coldest games ever against the Packers. Aaron Rodgers had spent a lot of time injured that year, but he returned just in time to qualify Green Bay to the playoffs in Week 17.

Kaepernick had more than 300 yards that day, even in the cold (227 passing, 98 rushing) and led the game-winning drive as the 49ers kicked a field goal as time expired to beat the Packers in the playoffs for the second straight year. It was his third straight win against Green Bay.

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