More than a fast start
If anyone comes up to you and tells you that they knew the 49’ers would be 4-1, they’re lying. But somehow, it’s true.
Their 48-3 crushing of the sorry Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed all of the improvements made in San Francisco, especially the impressive running back tandem of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. The two rushed for almost 200 yards and a touchdown, and took the pressure off of Alex Smith (3 TD’s) at Quarterback.
Smith has often been touted as a draft bust, and while I still am not sold on whether he is a franchise man, his performances this year have been light years better than anything he has shown before, as his third best QB rating (104.1) reflects. He is only behind Tom Brady (122.9) and Aaron Rodgers (109.5) at the position, and this has to be as a result of having an effective running game that gives Smith some margin for error.
It is no coincidence that Smith’s rise has occurred under the leadership of first-year coach Jim Harbaugh either, the Niners’ head coach is the man credited with the development of the best QB in college football, Stanford’s Andrew Luck.
Harbaugh has toughened up San Francisco’s offense, but on the defensive side of the ball, the legacy of the previous coach Mike Singletary remains with a hard-nosed, run stuffing focus. The 49’ers have the league’s best run defense, and while teams can pass on them, it is something that the coaches can fix, because they have nothing to worry about up front.
And there’s more to like about the Niners. A +10 turnover ratio, only seven touchdowns conceded, and all the pieces in place for a playoff team means they just have to keep up the good work. Just the 5-0, pass first, Megatron inspired Detroit Lions next then.
If San Francisco can win their remaining divisional games, the worst they will finish is 9-7, but even if they lose a couple here and there, a 7-9 record may still be good enough to win their division.
But there is still a nagging feeling that it is seconds from going horribly wrong again.
Until the 49’ers actually make the playoffs, even their fans will be wondering when the implosion will come. Too many times in the past 10 years have San Francisco looked like they could push on, only to collapse.
2002 was their last playoff appearance, and after the start they have had this season, if the Niners fail to change that in a very weak NFC West, they will only have themselves to blame.
