Colin Kaepernick had been there before.

Facing tough odds against an incredibly formidable opponent with the season on the line, everything hanging on the talents of a player who was only a backup for Alex Smith one season ago for the San Francisco 49ers. And once again, Kaepernick defied the odds and showed why he might just be the real deal.

With the game on the line and the season hanging in the balance, the 26-year-old tattooed, Milwaukee-born quarterback sensation was staring down the Green Bay Packers' defense in freezing temperatures at historic Lambeau Field with the NFC Wild Card playoff game tied at 20 Sunday, Kaepernick delivered when his team needed it most, scrambling with the clock running out in the fourth quarter for 11 yards-part of the stunning 98 rushing yards that Kaepernick posted for the day-to set up Phil Dawson's game-winning field goal from 33 yards out as the Niners stamped their ticket to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Carolina Panthers with a 23-20 victory in Green Bay, once again sending the Packers home empty-handed as San Francisco's bid to return to the Super Bowl lives on.

And through it all, Kaepernick, sleeveless shirt, gloveless hands and all, amid the frozen tundra that is Green Bay in January, threw for 227 yards and a touchdown with an interception on a 16-for-30 passing day.

His simple answer for why the nearly arctic temperatures of one of the toughest places to win on the road in the NFL didn't faze him?

"I've played in cold-weather games before," he said. "I feel like it's more mental than anything."

It's unclear whether it's bold confidence, or simply the confidence of youth, Kaepernick has been coming up smelling like roses ever since that fateful Week 10 game in 2012 when Smith got knocked out of a game with a concussion, forcing the Niners to go with Kaepernick for a while. Nobody could have expected that the young man with a dangerous arm and the fearless running mentality of a running back could have taken off like he did as he led San Francisco through one of its most thrilling postseason runs in recent memory. He knocked out Green Bay thanks to his rushing for an NFL quarterback record 181 yards and 263 passing yards in the Division round, then spearheaded the 49ers' thrilling 28-24 win against a powerful Atlanta Falcons team in the NFC championship game. How did he top that? By throwing 16-for-28 for 302 yards and a touchdown as he nearly completed one of the most improbably Super Bowl comebacks in history last year as the Niners rallied from a 22-point deficit, but fell in a 34-31 heartbreaker at Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens.

One year older and with the backing of the 49ers organization bolstering his confidence, Kaepernick is showing why he might just be the league's Next Big Thing. San Francisco, with the fifth-best NFL offense in total yards, has plenty of weapons on offense with Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and wideouts Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin. However, there's little question that Kaepernick is the straw that stirs the drink for the Niners on offense. As he goes, so goes San Francisco's chances of winning on any given Sunday. Of course, none of those Sundays have quite the importance and significance as the last few Sundays in January, when the road to MetLife Stadium gets closer with every game.

And it has been in that crucible of the playoffs that Kaepernick has been making his name and establishing himself as one of the most gifted and feared quarterbacks to don a 49ers jersey since Steve Young. His coolness under pressure in some very close games has been reminiscent of Montana's legendary poise that led San Francisco to four Super Bowl titles in the 1980s. And his fast legs that make him elusive and quick while scrambling when he opt to run rather than throw add a wily element to his game that helps to set him apart from some of the other big names in the quarterback position.

Kaepernick may not have the playoff pedigree of Tom Brady, or the lengthy experience of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees or the passing precision of Philip Rivers or the power of the 6'5" Ben Roethlisberger or the two Super Bowl rings of Eli Manning--heck, he only ranked 20th among NFL quarterbacks in passing yards this season at 3,197. But Kaepernick has taken his tremendous physical gifts-his height, his speed, a cannon for an arm, an uncanny athleticism-and turned them into tremendous weapons that have made San Francisco, a team more known for its punishing defense than its offense, into a dangerous team for opponents to have to contend with in the postseason.

Among NFL quarterback rushers, Kaepernick, who has rushed for 524 yards and four touchdowns this season, can run the ball as well as the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson, Washington's Robert Griffin III, or the man he will be facing on Sunday, Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton. And as of Saturday, Kaepernick leads all NFL postseason players in rushing yards, with 98 of them tallied last week against Green Bay.

In terms of talent, Kaepernick has all of the physical tools that his elite peers among the NFL signal-callers have. And he has shown a remarkably unflappable, steely demeanor in the face of overwhelming odds. The only ingredient missing is just a few more years of experience and the mental instincts and savvy that come with time. Like a fine wine, Kaepernick will only get better as he ages, and at 26 years old and with a solid team and a franchise with a rich history of winning behind him, the picture is looking pretty bright for Kaepernick-one that might even include the shine of a Super Bowl ring if he takes what he learned last year and applies it on the road to Super Bowl XLVIII.

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