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49ers offense attack early; defense finishes off Jaguars in 20-3 win
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49ers quarterback Alex Smith runs a play action to running back Glen Coffee. Smith would throw a touchdown to tight end Vernon Davis on the play.
(William G. Mancebo/Tri-City Voice Newspaper)
All week, the San Francisco 49ers were asked about how they would approach their offensive game plan knowing that the spread offense has had a lot of recent success. On Sunday, the offense executed their plays in the first half and the defense finished off the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-3. With the Arizona Cardinals losing to the Tennessee Titans, the 49ers are only two games back in the division.
Quarterback Alex Smith had possibly the best first half of football he has ever played. Smith went 18-29 passing for 169 yards and two very impressive touchdowns. With the 49ers leading 3-0, Smith led a 70-yard drive that was capped off by a beautiful play action that had tight end Vernon Davis wide open along the left side. The touchdown was Davis’ ninth of the year, putting him atop the list of touchdowns for tight ends. The score ties a 49ers record for most by a tight end in a single season.
Smith’s second touchdown came as he rolled right and contemplated running in 4 yards out on a third down play for a score. Instead, Smith pulled up and found an open Frank Gore in the back of the end zone. That touchdown gave the 49ers a 17-3 lead going into half time. Smith efficiency set the tone for the rest of the game for the 49ers. Despite the Jaguars tacking on a field goal to end the half, the momentum was on the 49ers side for the second half.
The 49ers collected six sacks on the day on Jaguars quarterback David Garrard. On a few occasions, Garrard was pressured and nearly threw a couple interceptions. The Jaguars offense, when needed to make a big play, could not punch it in.
“We had the opportunity to beat the 1-on-1s,” said linebacker Takeo Spikes, who had one of the six team sacks. “All sacks are not gong to come free so we had to beat the 1-on-1s.”
Oakland native Maurice Jones-Drew was held to 75 yards on 15 carries and was a non-factor on the ground for most of the game for the Jaguars.
49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin was very pleased of the approach the 49ers took this Sunday against the Jaguars.
“Everyone played team ball and everyone was focused this week,” Franklin said.
“Instead of the offense dictating the tempo, we (the defense) dictated the tempo,” cornerback Dre Bly said. “I think we played well.”
Stopping the Jaguars on key plays propelled the 49ers to their second win in three games. The defense was able to stop the Jaguars, especially in the red zone. Four times the Jaguars were in the red zone and they were not able to score once. The defensive pressure on Garrard took away any consistent offensive flow for Jacksonville.
Offensively for the 49ers, there was an upbeat attitude from quarterback Alex Smith after the game.
“It’s probably the best I’ve felt out there,” he said. “We knew [the secondary] was banged up, so we knew we could do some things throwing the ball.”
Smith finished the game 27-41 for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Despite running back Frank Gore’s low 33 yards on the ground, he and the rest of the offense were clicking through the air.
“I would think as far as the run is concerned, I think we have more playmakers in the passing game,” head coach Mike Singletary said. “I think for the first time in a long time we have a lot of playmakers that we can throw the ball to, as well as Frank.”
Singletary praised the leadership of tight end Vernon Davis, Smith and rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree after the game.
"Our playmakers made plays,” said Davis. “We got the ball in the hands of our playmakers.”
"We really did the same plays that we did last week,” Crabtree said after the game. “We just did a good job of executing our plays and just came up big when it was time to make big plays.”
When asked about the leadership, Smith said he consulted with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye about the offense and it worked out on the field on Sunday. The confidence of Smith in the offense has grown and it looks like the 49ers might have found the perfect formula for the offense.
Smith said that the offense will operate according to what the defense shows, but he does feel comfortable with what the 49ers have right now.
The 49ers are now 5-6 with a trip to Seattle next Sunday. Including the second half of last week and all of today’s effort, the 49ers are looking a lot better. They have found an identity on offense and a tenacity on defense that has looked much better.
Even though Mike Singletary didn’t want to talk about the Cardinals last week, today he couldn’t hold back his excitement during the post-game conference.
"This is very exciting," he said. "One of the things that I don't want our team doing is looking at what Arizona is doing, but you can't help. We just have to make sure that we earn the right to look at what they're doing and we've got to take care of business on our side."
A win next week by the 49ers and another loss by Arizona puts their December 13 Monday Night Football matchup a battle for first place. There is still reason to be excited for this football team.
Follow me on Twitter for updates. Check me out here @SLam49ers
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