This big game we speak of pits the undefeated New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Seats in Indy are going for $324 to $2,000, via one Internet ticket broker.

At the other end, you have the San Francisco 49ers (2-5) at the Atlanta Falcons (1-6). If you have $11, you have yourself an upper-deck seat for what promises to be a nice afternoon nap.

So many tickets are still available that the Falcons are bracing for their first television blackout in 5 1/2 years at the Georgia Dome. Yep, the 49ers aren't the draw they used to be. Plus, the Michael Vick-less Falcons couldn't have drawn up a much lousier start to coach Bobby Petrino's tenure.

Frankly, my dear, you probably don't give a darn about the Falcons' sellout streak. But we bring this up because it's part of a Falcons' free fall that might be more chaotic than the 49ers'.

And that's not just because the 49ers say their home-sellout streak — dating back to 1981 — will survive into 2008.

Veteran Falcons players have openly ripped Petrino and the Falcons' direction, including gripes from Pro Bowlers DeAngelo Hall and Alge Crumpler.

With the 49ers, a five-game losing streak hasn't led to similar finger pointing about the franchise's fate (and we know this because Joe Nedney's middle finger was pointed at Monster Park fans Sunday and not at coach Mike Nolan).

Ah, but seriously, by removing the loudmouths and egomaniacs from the locker room at the outset of his tenure, Nolan isn't being bashed by his troops, and the 49ers' abysmal offense isn't getting the death stare by the improved-yet-unthreatening defense.

"As an overall attitude or atmosphere and all that, I believe we've got that in check. I'm not worried about that," Nolan said. "... We don't have those issues. That's an important thing to note."

Duly noted. He wants his players to learn from their mistakes, not publicly point out their teammates' (or coaches') gaffes.

"If you point fingers, I'd get rid of you," Nolan warned, "because there wouldn't be any learning from doing that."

So it seems no single player is putting himself above the team and above the game. That's been Nolan's righteous goal from Day 1. And that's a trait shared by the two powerhouses going toe-to-toe Sunday in Indy.

The undercard 49ers, however, aren't even performing at a junior-varsity level compared with the NFL's big-time lettermen in Indy and New England.

"It really comes down to being a well-executed team," said linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, who left the Patriots and signed this spring with the 49ers. "Every team can't play perfect. When you watch the Patriots and Colts, what sets them apart is their execution. Every team has talent. The one that makes the fewer mistakes wins. We're making a lot of mistakes."

During Banta-Cain's Patriots days, when the defense forced a turnover, the offense quickly converted it into a touchdown. With the 49ers, the offense has quickly converted takeaways into picturesque Andy Lee punts.

Quarterback Alex Smith insists that'll eventually change and that the 49ers will boast a potent offense.

"You have to expect that's going to happen," Smith said. "If no one here wants to be great, they're probably in the wrong place. That needs to be the direction we're going."

The 49ers need to win Sunday more than either the Colts or Patriots. Losing a sixth straight, and doing so to a 1-6 team, would lead to the type of finger pointing where you hold your belly with the other hand while laughing.

"We've changed the culture, we've changed a lot of things, we've changed the expectations. That's all good," Nolan said. "... We need to be sitting 5-2, not 2-5. Maybe some of those expectations were a little bit ahead of ourselves. But I knew heading into the offseason we needed people on the outside to see where we were going."

Those people included 2007 free agents Nate Clements, Michael Lewis and Banta-Cain.

Banta-Cain seems genuine when claiming he's glad he's here to help the 49ers overcome their obstacles, and he's not stunned by the Patriots' 2007 dominance.

"With all the weapons and how they're doing the things they've always done, they're playing at a high level," Banta-Cain said. " ... (The Patriots) have an older team. They've got core guys. They've stayed pretty much the same. (Coach Bill) Belichick's not going to change. They play with confidence and swagger because they've been playing at that level for so long."