As everyone saw last night, the 49ers dismantled the Steelers in a 20-3 victory. Really, the score wasn’t even that close. Here are some of the things I think last nights game taught NFL fans.
– San Francisco is a legit title contender. Honestly, until yesterday I really wasn’t sold on the 49ers. I was under the belief that they had a good defense and had played an average schedule. The three best wins prior to yesterday came against a banged-up wishy/washy Giants team, a vastly overrated Eagles team, and a Ravens squad that really struggles on the road (yeah I don’t know where my brain went there. Ravens beat San Fran). Last night, the 49ers played a complete game against a (mostly) complete team. Look, I get that Rothesburger is hurt and his limitations greatly effected the offense, but what impressed me most was San Fran’s ability to move the ball against Pittsburgh’s own stingy defense. Frank Gore was able to run all over their front 7, and the secondary really made no plays all game long. (Did Troy Polamalu retire? Where’s he been the 2nd half of the year?) While the fact remains that the 49ers offense is going to give them trouble, San Francisco probably the best defense and special teams in football. Dominating 2 out of 3 phases can win you a title.
– Ben Rothesburger shouldn’t have been on the field last night. We all commend Big Ben for playing through injuries (by the way, high-ankle sprains are usually a 3-6 week injury) but at a certain point Mike Tomlin needs to make a decision that’s best for team, both now and down the road. What’s the point of putting your fanchise quarterback out there against that pass rush when he literally cannot move. If the arguement is Tomlin thought Rothesburger gave the Steelers the best chance to win, then fine, but 20 minutes into the game a change should have been made. It was obvious Ben was really hurt. To make it worse, Rothesburger’s two dominating qualties – the ability to throw the ball down field and the ability to extend plays with his legs – were both completely negated by the high-ankle sprain. Ben sailed throws over open reciever’s heads all night, including twice on interceptions. Charlie Batch is by no means a good quarterback, but at a certian pont Pittsburgh needed to cut its loses.
– If I were a 49ers fan, I’d be very concerned about the redzone offense. Even on a night where they dominated the opposition to the point that San Fran could really do whatever it wanted, they stalled multiple times inside the 20. ESPN flashed a statistic that the 49ers scored touchdowns on only about 35% of their redzone opportunities, placing them 31st in football. Against teams like Green Bay, New Orleans, or even Dallas, you have to get 7 when the opportunity presents itself. Who is going to step up and be the go to guy (Hey, Vernon Davis, can you hear me???)
– California is so broke it can’t even pay its own electric bills.
– The NFC has the 3 best teams in football. Yes, yes, I’m painfully aware that Green Bay lost this weekend. They’re still 13-1 and have won 19 of their last 20 games. Let’s all try to be a little less reactionary. (Any by the way, Aaron Rodgers is the MVP, not Brees. Settle down, everyone.) After Green Bay, I’d take the Saints and 49ers over any teams in the AFC. Who would even be the top team in the AFC to compete? Please don’t try to sell me New England. Yes, their offense is impressive and those two tight ends are amazing. The question was never their offense. In Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, how many points would that swiss cheese defense give up on the field turf to Green Bay or the Saints? After watching the 49ers defense last night, I feel like this it would like watching Brady run from Alden and Justin Smith. You could try to sell me the Ravens, but they’re way to inconsistant. Honestly, I’d still take Pittsburgh over every AFC team, but Rothesburger needs to get healthy (I mean, he REALLY shouldn’t have played last night). According to sportsbook.com, the NFC is favored by 4.5 to win the Super Bowl, and that seems about right.
– Alex Smith has become very comfortable managing games. I have to be honest, I was pretty impressed with some of the things Smith was able to do last night. For the most part, he threw the ball where he wanted to and kept the ball out of the other team’s hands. Obviously, with a defense as dominating as San Francisco’s, Smith’s priority is to keep the turnovers down. Last night, he made every right decision, didn’t really force any balls, and let his running game and defense do the work. Bonus thought – every time I watch Frank Gore play (admittedly not that often) I am reminded of how good he is. If Gore can stay healthy – big if – and is Smith stays away from the turnovers – medium size if- this team can beat anyone in football. The defense is that good.
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