San Francisco 49ers Week 2 Recap

Week 2’s win for the 49ers marks their 3rd straight victory over the Rams dating back from September of last year. It came down to a solid second half defense that held Bulger and the Rams to three points during the entire second half and the three keys on offense (Quarterback Alex Smith, Running Back Frank Gore, and Wide Receiver Antonio Bryant) stepping up.

Alex Smith went 11 for 22 for 233 yards with a touchdown. The two impressive stats were the number of times Smith got sacked and the number of interceptions he threw: Zero. The offense line which is always a problem for the 49ers played fairly well also.

Frank Gore had 29 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. Last weekend he had 16 rushes for 87 yards. The 49ers are looking smarter and smarter keeping Gore and sending Barlow to the Jets. If he can keep putting up at least 80 yard rushing games he’ll end up taking pressure off of Alex Smith and give them possibly a Pro Bowl season.

There was some on the field friction during the first half between Antonio Bryant and Alex Smith over Smith’s overthrown passes (that made great stories for talk radio) but once the two were back in rhythm Bryant was able to put up some decent numbers catching four passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also gave the 49ers their first lead of the second half courtesy of a 72 yard pass from Alex Smith in the third quarter. Is it a coincidence that Bryant is wearing the same number 81 in San Francisco that Terrell Owens wore? Time will tell.

The defense in the first half was fairly rocky but once it settled down it gave Mark Bugler a very hard time especially in the fourth quarter where Bulger was sacked three times and where the Rams were held to three points.

Overall, after a strong but unsuccessful outing against the Arizona Cardinals and a win against the Saint Louis Rams this 49ers team has proven that at least so far they play with a lot of heart. They probably aren’t a playoff team but they certainly are above the level of play shown by the bottom tier in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how well they can play against the Eagles next week especially with the Eagles losing Jevon Kearse for the season.