The 49ers can build upon what quarterback Alex Smith, tight end Vernon Davis and receiver Michael Crabtree showed in the second half Sunday.
The outcome will not help their playoff chances, but those were fading anyway.
The 49ers are getting what they paid for in the 2009 draft. Crabtree is giving Smith a chance to make plays when the offensive line can protect well enough. The line, unaddressed early in the draft when Crabtree fell to the 49ers at No. 10, remained a serious liability much of the game Sunday. Injuries aren't helping the situation.
In the bigger picture, the 49ers will look back on this game as a step forward for Smith. He tossed three touchdown passes in a second half for the second time in five games this season. In both cases, Smith rallied the 49ers within striking distance in the fourth quarter after the team struggled early.
The 49ers' inability to sack Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the game hurt them badly. Rodgers, sacked 41 times this season before Sunday, attempted 39 passes against the 49ers before San Francisco finally sacked him. That stands as his longest streak without a sack all season. The 49ers thought they would fare better in that area.
The schedule, featuring Jacksonville at home and Seattle on the road over the next two weeks, gives the 49ers a chance to get back to .500 over the next two weeks. And if the young players on offense keep developing, they can feel better about the season, even if the playoffs prove elusive.
The outcome will not help their playoff chances, but those were fading anyway.
The 49ers are getting what they paid for in the 2009 draft. Crabtree is giving Smith a chance to make plays when the offensive line can protect well enough. The line, unaddressed early in the draft when Crabtree fell to the 49ers at No. 10, remained a serious liability much of the game Sunday. Injuries aren't helping the situation.
In the bigger picture, the 49ers will look back on this game as a step forward for Smith. He tossed three touchdown passes in a second half for the second time in five games this season. In both cases, Smith rallied the 49ers within striking distance in the fourth quarter after the team struggled early.
The 49ers' inability to sack Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the game hurt them badly. Rodgers, sacked 41 times this season before Sunday, attempted 39 passes against the 49ers before San Francisco finally sacked him. That stands as his longest streak without a sack all season. The 49ers thought they would fare better in that area.
The schedule, featuring Jacksonville at home and Seattle on the road over the next two weeks, gives the 49ers a chance to get back to .500 over the next two weeks. And if the young players on offense keep developing, they can feel better about the season, even if the playoffs prove elusive.
Mike Sando | email
NFL- NFC West Blogger
- Joined ESPN in 2007
- Lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
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