The 49ers are now just one game out of first place in the putrid NFC West. Un. Freaking. Believable.
The Bad: The 49ers lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 21-0 the week before. The game wasn't as close as the score would indicate. The 49ers best offensive penetration into Bucs territory was to the 33 yard line, and that resulted in a punt.
Hideous. Truly hideous.
The Ugly: Could we have a moment of silence for the loss of 40% of the 49ers offense? Frank Gore, the best player on the entire team, with the possible exception of Patrick Willis, is out for the season with a broken hip. At the time Gore went down with his injury, he was personally accountable for over 40% of all yardage gained by the 49ers offense. This was, BTW, the fourth season in the last five that Gore has contributed at that level. Only Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, and Jim Brown had been at that level of productivity with greater frequency. Last I heard, those three used to be pretty good. Now that monster productivity is gone.
Yes, Brian Westbrook did a stellar job of filling in Monday night, rushing for over 130 yards. But Westbrook has a lot of miles on his odometer, and a history of concussions. Not much of a confidence builder, that.
Prognosis: The 49ers will probably finish at 7-9 this year, second in the West behind the suddenly mediocre St. Louis Rams (trust me - in the West, mediocre is king). Troy Smith has come back to earth and revealed just why the Ravens gave up on him. He's a stellar backup quarterback. He's not a reliable starter.
In the immortal words of fans everywhere: wait 'til next year!
