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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information gives rare weekly kudos to an overlooked standout -- the punter.

The Week 4 honor goes to Cincinnati's Kevin Huber. However, San Francisco's outstanding Andy Lee led Simon's list of honorable mention punters for the week.

Here is what Simon had to say about Lee's performance in the 35-11 win at St. Louis:

Putting Andy Lee in a dome is almost unfair. Lee had seven punts against the Rams last Thursday, five of which he boomed more than 50 yards. His 54.7 yard gross average was the best he's had in any of the 46 regular-season games in which he's punted at least seven times.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- There are two interesting players available via trade at the moment -- Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman and Tennessee receiver Kenny Britt.

Could the San Francisco 49ers be a fit for either? The 49ers need a receiver and have looked at veteran backup quarterbacks in the past month, so it's not out of the question for San Francisco to have interest. Plus, the 49ers' brass has been aggressive in the trade market and the team has a big surplus of draft picks next year. So there are reasons to believe the 49ers would be open to dealing.

But do Freeman or Britt make sense for the 49ers? Let's take a look:

Freeman: The 49ers have recently considered quarterbacks Brady Quinn and John Skelton. Freeman is more skilled than either of those players, and he'd arguably be an upgrade over current backup Colt McCoy. But I'm not sure adding him would be worth it. There is no great need and the 49ers don't have a lot of salary-cap room, so adding Freeman could be tricky. There are things to like about this pairing, but I'm just not sure making it happen would be a priority.

Britt: The 49ers could use a receiver. They aren't getting much help beyond No. 1 receiver Anquan Boldin. However, Mario Manningham may be back within the month, and Michael Crabtree could return for the stretch run. So the 49ers may not feel the need to add a receiver. Along with Britt, Cleveland's Josh Gordon is reportedly also available. Sure, the 49ers could use one of those players now. But in the long run, I'm not sure it would be worth the money, investment and potential hassle considering both Britt and Gordon have had off-field issues. The 49ers are busy enough dealing with pass rusher Aldon Smith's troubles.

A weekly examination of the 49ers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason ranking: 3 | Last Week: 10 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The San Francisco 49ers’ short journey out of single-digit rankings is over after a 35-11 win at St. Louis in Week 4. Last week, the 49ers fell to No. 10 after dropping to 1-2. It was the team’s lowest ranking since Week 5 of 2011. The 49ers were never ranked lower than No. 5 last season.

Now, they appear to be back on the right track. The voting panel clearly respects and believes in San Francisco. The 49ers are the highest-ranked 2-2 team in the league. They are also ranked higher than Chicago, Detroit and Tennessee. Those teams are all 3-1.

A win over visiting Houston, ranked No. 15, should keep the 49ers pointing upward in Week 6.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- One of the biggest problems for the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of the season has been its inability to get into a rhythm on offense.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando came up with a telling statistic: The 49ers gave gone three-and-out on 43.1 percent of their offensive series. It’s the fourth highest percentage in the league.

Getting into an offensive rhythm was a big problem in San Francisco’s two losses to Seattle and Indianapolis. They scored a combined 10 points in the two games. Their offensive production improved in Week 4 during a 35-11 win at St. Louis. While they were able to run the ball well against the Rams, the offense still sputtered at times because of a lack of receiver depth.

But San Francisco's defense has forced three-and-outs 39.6 percent of the time -- tied with Dallas for the fifth most in the league. That is strong work and it is another indication that the 49ers' defense has not been the problem as they sit at 2-2.

The defense has sagged at times, but it has happened late in games because of the offensive issues. If San Francisco can start sustaining some drives, it should help both sides of the ball.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Tuesday is a key date for the San Francisco 49ers as Levi’s Stadium continues to get closer to completion.

The team announced the first seats will be installed Tuesday. They will be placed in the lower bowl where 45,000 of the 68,500 seats will be located. The stadium will be ready for the start of next season.

Meanwhile, former 49ers star receiver Jerry Rice told the Bay Area News Group he would love to help the team's young group of receivers.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Some random thoughts on a Monday as the rest of the NFL caught up with the San Francisco 49ers, who started Week 4 off Thursday night with a 35-11 win at St. Louis:

The 49ers are 2-2, and a quarter into the season they are tied with NFC West foe Arizona for the final wild-card spot. San Francisco trails rival Seattle, 4-0, by two games after the Seahawks came back from down 14 points in the fourth quarter to win at Houston in overtime. It’s the same Texans team the 49ers host on Sunday. The 49ers are going to be playing a shell-shocked team on 10 days rest.

The final 12 games for San Francisco don't currently look overly daunting. Only three remaining opponents, Seattle, New Orleans (3-0 heading into tonight’s game against Miami) and Tennessee (3-1) have a winning record.

Speaking of the Titans, quarterback Jake Locker was hurt Sunday and it appears the 49ers will face Ryan Fitzpatrick in Nashville in 20 days.

The 49ers’ 2014 draft continues to look like it's getting better. Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs improved to 4-0 on Sunday. The 49ers received a second-round pick in April for Smith and they will get another second-round pick if the Chiefs win eight games this season. Thus, if the Chiefs go 4-8 the rest of the season, the 49ers will get the second-round pick.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The first quarter of the San Francisco 49ers' season is complete. Let’s look at some key developments as the defending NFC champion sits at 2-2:

Story of the quarter: It’s a sad story, while being one of the biggest in the league this season. Superstar pass-rusher Aldon Smith is receiving treatment for alcohol abuse. He entered treatment at an undisclosed facility two days before he turned 24 after being arrested on a charge of drunk driving. It was his second DUI arrest in less than two years. He publicly acknowledged he has a problem and vowed to “fix” it. He is expected to be away from the team for a month. It’s a stunning and rare NFL story.

Offensive MVP of the quarter: Let’s go with running back Frank Gore. He got the team on track Thursday night at St. Louis with 153 rushing yards on 20 carries. It was his highest rushing total in four years. Gore was also good in Week 3 before the 49ers went away from the run. Gore showed he is still the sparkplug to this offense.

Defensive player of the quarter: Smith was great when he played and Patrick Willis was also outstanding before sitting out the St. Louis game with a groin injury. Overall, the 49ers’ defense has been better than statistics show. I’m going to with linebacker NaVorro Bowman. He has been steady. He was spectacular against the Rams in Willis’ absence. I know I am putting a lot of stock in the St. Louis game, but this game might be looked upon as a season-saver. It was vital.

Rookie of the quarter: Safety Eric Reid looks like the goods. The first-round pick has been a big part of the defense since the start of the season. He is smart, instinctive and a ball hawk. He has a bright future.

Disappointment of the quarter: The lack of discipline. San Francisco has 39 penalties. It is ridiculous. Penalties have hurt this team in all four games. The 49ers have to get a handle on on this issue.

Biggest unanswered question of the quarter: Are there enough weapons in the passing game? Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was not the problem when this team scored a combined 10 points in losses to Seattle and Indianapolis. His receivers, other than Anquan Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis, did not come through. It improved somewhat at St. Louis. Newly acquired Jon Baldwin was active and looked decent. But this is something the 49ers will have to work on until Mario Manningham comes back in a month and star Michael Crabtree tries to return late in the season. As of now, receiver depth is still a huge question.

Fearless prediction for the second quarter: The 49ers will go 3-1 in the next quarter and sit at 5-3 at the bye week. That’s a pretty solid record for a team that was 1-2. The 49ers’ toughest games in the next quarter are at home on a Sunday night against Houston and at Tennessee on Oct. 20. They also play host to Arizona on Oct. 13 and against Jacksonville on Oct. 27 in London. The 49ers are not perfect and they have some issues to work through, but I expect them to straighten out some in the coming weeks with the help of a manageable schedule.

His status: Star San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith checked into an alcohol treatment center Monday. He was arrested three days earlier for drunk driving. It was his second such arrest in less than two years.

Timeline: Smith will not be ready to leave treatment until physicians declare him ready. Often, such treatment takes about four weeks. Then, he’d have to get conditioned back to football shape. The 49ers leave for London after playing at Tennessee on Oct. 20. That is 27 days after Smith checked into treatment. In the best-case scenario, perhaps he could join the team for an Oct. 27 game against Jacksonville in England. But the more likely scenario, assuming all goes well in treatment, is Smith joins the team after it returns from London for the bye week and is ready to play Nov. 10 against Carolina. Smith’s first court date on his DUI charge is Nov. 4. Smith is likely facing about a two-game NFL suspension if convicted on the charge. It is not out of the question he serves the suspension next season.

Financially speaking: CSN Bay Area reported during the week that the 49ers have opted to pay Smith while he is on the reserve/Non-Football Illness list. Paying Smith was the team’s choice. His weekly paycheck is about $99,000. It is an act of good faith by the organization, which has vowed to support its star during this troubling time. As for a contract extension, that probably will have to wait, at least, a year as Smith will likely have to show the franchise he can be trusted on a long-term basis.

The team without him: Promising rookie Corey Lemonier and veteran Dan Skuta took the place of Smith, who has 4.5 sacks this season and an NFL-high 38.5 sacks since 2011, in a 35-11 win over St. Louis. San Francisco had five sacks and it played brilliant defense without both Smith and star inside linebacker Patrick Willis, who was out with a groin injury.

Bottom line: Smith has to get healthy. All involved are in agreement -- his personal well being is paramount at this point and we won’t see him in uniform until it is determined he is on the road to recovery.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Quarterbacks make their reputation on third down.

Can they or can’t they?

Thursday night, Colin Kaepernick, under fire for leading a San Francisco 49ers offense that had scored a total of 10 points in its previous two games, was dominant on third down in a 35-11 victory at St. Louis.

The 49ers relied on 153 rushing yards by Frank Gore. But Kaepernick added 167 yards through the air to supplement the offensive attack. And Kaepernick did most of his damage on third down.

He completed 7 of 10 passes for 98 yards on third down, and both of his touchdown throws came on third down. His average completion yardage was good for a first down. His passer rating was 140.8 and his Total QBR was 99.5.

Kaepernick’s performance in the game, and in particular on third down, should quiet the critics. Any quarterback who dominates on the most critical down is a quarterback who is going to play for a long time.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Quinton Patton’s bad break may be a good one for Jon Baldwin.

It appears Baldwin will get a chance for extra playing time now that Patton has a broken foot. The rookie was hurt in the San Francisco 49ers’ 35-11 win at St. Louis on Thursday, and will miss several weeks. Patton was working as the No. 2 receiver when he was hurt.

Baldwin, Kyle Williams and Marlon Moore will get more work, while Anquan Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis will remain the top options. Mario Manningham could come back from an injury in a month. Michael Crabtree could return from a torn Achilles in December.

In the meantime, Baldwin is the most intriguing option the 49ers have. He was acquired in August from Kansas City for former first-round pick A.J. Jenkins. Baldwin was inactive for the first three games before playing solidly at St. Louis.

Baldwin was considered a potential star for the Chiefs, but he never put it together. It sounds as if 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is ready to see if Baldwin is ready to be a contributor.

“He’s got a competitive heart,” Harbaugh said of Baldwin. “I had that feeling about him.”

With Patton down, we’ll see what Baldwin can do.

ST. LOUIS -- His teammates picked up Colin Kaepernick on Thursday night and they loved it.

After scoring a touchdown, running back Frank Gore paid homage to his quarterback by flexing and kissing his bicep. Yes, Gore Kaepernicked. After the 49ers’ much-needed 35-11 win against the Rams, Gore said he knows how hard Kaepernick works and was happy to pay tribute to his talented teammate.

Kaepernick endured a lot of criticism after the 49ers scored a combined 10 points in Week 2 and Week 3 losses to Seattle and Indianapolis. While Kaepernick didn’t play well in those games, the 49ers’ offensive problems were hardly all his fault.

Thursday night, the entire offense clicked. It started with a strong running game, which allowed Kaepernick to pass effectively when needed, Kaepernick looked much better Thursday than he did the previous two games.

“I’m just glad we helped him this game,” fullback Bruce Miller said. “We all did our job and helped him like we’re supposed to do.”

Miller credited Kaepernick for staying steady and not wilting after the two tough weeks.

“That’s important,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of season to go. We need to stay steady, and he has been.”

A review of four hot issues from the San Francisco 49ers' 35-11 road win over the St. Louis Rams:

Digging deep: The 49ers simply had to win this game. They were 1-2 and were outscored by a combined 56-10 the past two weeks. Their offense looked horrible, injuries were piling up, linebacker Aldon Smith left the team to seek alcohol rehab treatment and they were playing on a short week. The odds were stacked against them -- and the 49ers responded. They dominated on both sides of the ball. They are now 2-2 and feeling pretty good about themselves.

Back to basics: In the first three weeks, the 49ers didn’t run the ball consistently on offense and had trouble, at times, on defense. That’s not the 49ers’ way. They win by dominating on the ground on both sides of the ball. It sets their tone, which is what happened Thursday. Frank Gore ran for 153 yards (his highest total since 2009) on 20 carries. His 34-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-inches late in the second quarter gave the 49ers a 14-3 lead. It also increases their win probability 18.1 percent to 85.3 percent. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Gore had 115 yards between the tackles Thursday. He had a total of 88 yards between the tackles in the first three games. Defensively, the 49ers held the Rams to 18 rushing yards on 19 carries. It was a great bounce-back performance -- especially considering they were missing inside linebacker Patrick Willis -- for a unit that allowed 179 yards on the ground last Sunday against the Colts.

Dodging a bullet: This great win looked like it was going to be ruined very late in the game when standout left tackle Joe Staley was on the turf, yelling in pain. He later said he thought he broke his ankle, but he tweeted that he was fine. Coach Jim Harbaugh said it looked like the team “dodged a bullet.”

Youngsters get involved: The 49ers are one of the league’s youngest teams and they are starting to rely on some less experienced players. Receiver Jon Baldwin played for the first time since being acquired in a deal with Kansas City for fellow former first-round pick A.J. Jenkins. Baldwin came up with some big catches. Harbaugh liked what he saw. Running back LaMichael James played for the first time this season. He didn’t do much, but at least he’s in the mix. Rookie Corey Lemonier played a lot in Smith’s absence and looked promising. Michael Wilhoite played solidly in Willis’ absence. Getting these players work should pay off as the season progresses.

ST. LOUIS -- The San Francisco 49ers obviously wanted to send the rest of the NFC a message as they make their final preparations for Week 4: We are still a team to be reckoned with at the quarter point of the season.

Make no mistake, the 49ers, particularly on offense, are not perfect four games into their NFC title defense. However, they emphatically showed Thursday night that they are not ready to remove themselves from playoff consideration. In an impressive show of will, San Francisco manhandled the St. Louis Rams, 35-11, to improve to 2-2.

If the 49ers had fallen to 1-3, their season would have been officially unraveling. Instead, they go into the long weekend feeling like Weeks 2 and 3 were correctable aberrations.

Overcoming their myriad issues was not easy, especially traveling across the country on a short week. San Francisco entered this game having been outscored by Seattle and Indianapolis by a combined 56-10. The 49ers' offense, including quarterback Colin Kaepernick, had been awful; they were banged up; and, most importantly, linebacker Aldon Smith had entered an alcohol-treatment program, just shy of his 24th birthday, and would be away from the team for at least a month.

Yes, it was a crisis week for the 49ers.

And they punched the Rams in the mouth, just as a true playoff contender would.

Every member of the organization deserved a game ball Thursday night. This was a special bounce-back win. Coach Jim Harbaugh and Kaepernick would get gold game balls. They answered the call.

After losing to the Colts, the 49ers fell below .500 for the first time in Harbaugh’s 35 games at the helm, and it was the first time his team had lost back-to-back games. He and his staff, which stayed over at the facility on Sunday night, did a brilliant job. Harbaugh gave a hint of what was coming in his Monday news conference.

"We have the rare opportunity," he said, "of staring adversity in the face and whipping it.''

It was clear Harbaugh had his team prepared and the 49ers realized what was at stake. The understated Kaepernick said Tuesday when asked what was the message of the week: “We have to win.”

Yes, there is no such thing as a must-win until it is actually a must-win. That’s impossible in September. But the 49ers would have been rowing upstream for a good part of the season had they not won Thursday night.

And for the 49ers to win so impressively, with everything that ailed them, shows that this team is still very much a contender.

It started on the ground -- as it should in the 49ers’ offense. Frank Gore, often an unsung hero for the 49ers, paved the way with 153 yards on 20 carries, including a 34-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-inches to make the score 14-3 late in the second quarter. It was Gore’s highest rushing yardage total since 2009. The 49ers didn’t have success running the ball in the first two games of the season, and they went away from it last weekend against Indianapolis. Thursday night it was the focal point of the offensive attack and opened up the passing game for Kaepernick.

Kaepernick’s statistical line was not overly impressive: He was 15-for-23 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. In reality, Kaepernick was effective. He took what the defense gave him and threw lasers all night. Anquan Boldin made a big impact with five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.

“When we are at our best, we do whatever it takes offensively to be successful,” fullback Bruce Miller said. “That’s what we did tonight. The ground game worked, so we used it. We showed that we are capable of doing this every week. That’s what’s satisfying. After the last weeks, this is what we needed.”

Most importantly, San Francisco's offense took pressure off of its defense. The defense had been taking heat of its own after allowing 84 points this season. But, for the most part, the unit was solid, wearing down only late in the game. The 49ers had held a lead for just 25 plays over the first three games, all in the first week.

The San Francisco defense was refreshed Thursday night as it was staked to an early 11-point lead. Playing without Smith and inside linebacker Patrick Willis, who has a groin injury, the unit was suffocating. After wilting against the run, the 49ers allowed St. Louis just 18 yards on 19 carries. The Rams managed a total of only 188 yards of offense.

Running the ball and stopping the run. It was San Francisco 49ers’ football when they needed it the most.

“We went back to being us,” Gore said.

Yes, there are still some issues. The 49ers committed 10 penalties and now have 39 this season, the receiving corps lacks depth and the defense occasionally sagged on third-and-long.

But all of those things can be fixed. The 49ers were in a crisis. Style points were not the point Thursday. Simply winning was the tonic San Francisco needed. The 49ers showed the rest of the league, they will not go away so easily.