Detroit Lions 13

San Francisco 49ers 31

The 49ers are off to a 2-1 start for the second consecutive year as they mauled the Lions 31-13. J.T. O’Sullivan and the passing looked solid again for the second straight week.  O’Sullivan went 16-for-23, 189 yards, two touchdowns with no interceptions…or fumbles! In fact the 49ers had no turnovers in the game and the o-line held up strong allowing only one sack all game. O’Sullivan did his best impression of legend QB Steve Young by rushing for two crucial first downs. Forget about sliding to avoid the coming defender, O’Sullivan dived for the two first downs showing he should be respected when the passing options breakdown. The 49ers handled the Lions the same way the elite teams of the NFL are suppose to. I am not calling the 49ers an elite team but to become one they have to score lots of points against the lesser teams in the NFL and not allow them to stay in the game. The 49ers sent a huge message to the Lions and the rest of the NFL to not overlook them as Mike Nolan decided against kicking for a field goal at the Lions one-yard line with a 21-6 lead. It was the fourth quarter but the 49ers last score came in the second quarter when TE Delanie Walker scored on a 24-yard pass. Normally Nolan would have gone for the field goal extending their lead a little more. But Nolan wanted to end the game in the early minutes of the fourth quarter and sent his offense back on the field. Mike Martz pulled a trick play out of his sleeves calling for a reverse with return man Allen Rossum. Rossum made a beautiful move to avoid a tackle in the backfield and ran for the corner of the end zone just making it inside the pylon for a touchdown and a 28-6 lead. Nolan might have been sending a message to everyone that he will not be as conservative with his decisions as in the past and he fully trusts Martz and his system. How could you not? Martz is making a strong case that the 49ers have more than just a rushing game and nothing will be held back this season. Frank Gore, again, was a beast against the Lions rushing for 130 yards with one touchdown and catching four passes for 32 yards.

The 49ers D was strong which was a little unexpected. I gave the Lions too much credit in my preview for the game thinking they would have a breakout game on offense. That was not the case as the 49ers sacked Jon Kitna four times and had two interceptions. The D held in check Kitna and receivers Roy Williams (2 receptions, 18 receiving. yards) and Calvin Johnson (4 receptions, 40 receiving yards). While the Lions were able to establish a running game with 116 yards, they found themselves down by two touchdowns early in the second quarter which meant the 49ers played off of the run and dared the Lions to beat them with their passing game. The 49ers D will need to put more pressure in the coming games as they face-off against some of the best QB’s in the NFL.

Other than a 3-0 start, this all 49er fans could have hoped for after the first three weeks of the season. The team has established it has a passing game, it has a quarterback who can make plays and the D seems to be getting better with each week. The 49ers looked strong against a very weak and disorganized team, but just because the Lions are one of worst teams in the NFL should not diminish a big win by the 49ers. However what could diminish the 49ers 2-1 start and make them start doubting themselves is the schedule for the next four weeks; @Saints, Patriots, Eagles, and @ Giants. The 49ers of course need to win at least half of the games to be considered a good team in the NFL and to stay in contention in the NFC West. Even if they only do get one or maybe even zero wins, they need to not get blown out in any of the games and will have to make big plays. No one is impressed with wins against the Seahawks and Lions, but wins against any of those teams will say a lot about the 49ers. Let’s not also forget the 49ers started out 2-1 last season and, well, you know how that ended.

Bill Walsh Field!

So I was watching the game yesterday and not only did they mention Bill Walsh Field (see previous post) but the Joke Family had an official dedication ceremony during halftime for it. Grant it the field was renamed before the start of last season when Bill Walsh passed away but good job Joke Family for finally having a ceremony and actually having a sign in the stadium that says Bill Walsh Field! Maybe the 49er Faithful can look over the fact that it was about a year overdue.

Next Up: @ New Orleans Saints

It starts…the toughest part of the schedule for the 49ers. Time to put-up or shut-up. We will see what this team is made of.

Seattle Seahawks 30

The San Francisco 49ers won yesterday is dramatic fashion beating divisional rivals the Seahawks 33-30 in overtime. Joe Nedney who missed a game winning field goal as time expired redeemed himself in overtime as he kicked a 41-yard field goal to win the game.

This is what the 49ers needed. A win against the team that has dominated the NFC West for the last five years and on the road in which the Seahawks have fans known to be the loudest in the NFL. QB J.T. O’Sullivan had his coming out game going 20 of 32 for 321 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and more importantly no fumbles by the QB recovered by the defense. The game did not look like it was going to go the 49ers way in the first half as Manny Lawson blocked a punt only for the Seahawks to recover and get a first down, another punt should have been downed at the 1-yard line by the 49ers special teams only to have it botched and go into the end zone for a touchback, and Frank Gore lost a fumble as the Seahawks D ran it in for a score. Down 14-0 and 17-6 the team showed reliance by not faltering and fighting their way back into the game.

I wrote on Saturday the 49ers needed to get the passing game going and with the teams first 300-yard game by QB since 2004 when Tim Rattay had 417 yards passing the slumbering passing game awoke. Gore was held in check by the Seahawks D only rushing for 61 yards with a touchdown, but Mike Martz knew they going to make the 49ers beat them with the passing game and oh did they ever. I called for Isaac Bruce to be more involved and on a 63-yard gain from O’Sullivan with the 49ers trailing 17-6, the 49ers passing game made their first statement of the year. A more important catch was Bruce’s 33-yarder in overtime that set-up the winning field goal for the 49ers. Bruce finished with four catches for 153 yards. The Red and Gold did not have a 100-yard receiving game at all last year and with the first one coming in the second game of the year bodes well for the 49ers passing game.

The 49ers D mostly went with 5 and 6 defensive backs the whole game which was surprising given the Seahawks depleted receiving core. They had only one sack late in the game and gave up 169 yards rushing. The 49ers should have pressured Matt Hasselbeck more in the game and taken a cue from the Seahawks in making them beat them with their passing game. Nevertheless LB Patrick Willis ran a 86-yard interception for a touchdown which proved critical at the end of the game.

Overall the 49ers did well in all aspects of the game making plays on offense, defense, and special teams. Martz showed what his offensive schemes can do and that the 49ers are capable of having a great passing game. However he also showed with his spread formations the QB’s in his offense are going to get sacked, a lot. The O-line gave up eight sacks not from the lack of protection from them but the lack of help in the backfield when the Seahawks blitzed. The 49ers as a team showed they can picked themselves back up after being knock downed in a game, especially with Nedney missing the game winner only to come back and win the game on a kick from almost the same distance.

Next Week: @ home vs. Detroit Lions

Forget that his might be a redemption game for Martz who was fired by the Lions as offensive coordinator, the 49ers start a string of games against very good and tough teams and starting out 1-1 gives the 49ers confidence. The Lions D have been torched the first two games making Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers look like veteran QB’s. O’Sullivan could have another great passing game, but the Lions will be throwing out everything they have to avoid an 0-3 start. This will be a tough matchup.

Briefly: I saw on the scroll on ESPN this morning that the Buccaneers contacted the 49ers about trading Jeff Garcia which the team said no thanks. The 49ers seem to have their man in O’Sullivan and the team has done there, done that with Garcia.

Last night J.T. O’Sullivan made his most significant claim to the starting QB job in a win over the Bears 37-30. O’Sullivan passed for 7-of-8, 126 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions with a perfect quarterback rating. His one incomplete pass was a shovel pass to Frank Gore. Not to be forgotten, Alex Smith made a modest claim to the starting job going 6-of-17, 83 yards, one touchdown with no interceptions. Head Coach Mike Nolan would not commit O’Sullivan to the starting job, but after last night’s performance it would be hard to argue he should not be the starting man under center. He led the 49ers on three scoring drives resulting in two field goals and one touchdown. On the touchdown drive O’Sullivan hit Vernon Davis with a 40-yard pass and on the next play he scrambled to the right, made sure he had his feet planted and fired off to Jason Hill in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown. The play made O’Sullivan look like a starting veteran as Smith was only able to lead the 49ers to a touchdown on a fumble from Bear’s Garett Wolfe on a kickoff return giving the 49ers great field position. Yes it is only still the preseason, but the 49ers offense seems to be grasping the Mike Martz offense more each week. They look poised to continue their newfound scoring ability into a tough regular season schedule. The 49ers have scored 73 points in the last two games which can be greatly attributed to the emergence of the offensive line that has only given up two sacks in three preseason games. The 49ers offense is looking great which all you can ask for in the preseason. Hopefully their confidence rolls over to the regular season.

The defense was not too impressive giving up 313 total net yards (109 rushing, 204 passing). Equally not impressive was the special teams unit which was the 49ers strong point last season. The Bears Devin Hester received a kick-off and then handed it off to Danieal Manning in a reserve in which he gained 60 yards. On the next kick-off Manning had a 75-yard return. The Bears only had to go 33 and 11 yards for 10 points. The special teams also suffered a block kick on a field goal and a punt. Special Teams mistakes like these can easily negate any positive results the offense and defense have gained in a preseason or a regular season game. The 49ers were lucky enough not to have this happen to them in the game providing the 49ers their second straight win.

Next Up:

Who: San Diego (Super) Chargers

Where: Candlestick Park (Walsh Field)

When: Friday, August 29, 2008; 7:00 PM (PST)

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