49ERS DE-CLAW LIONS 27-19

By  

Scary Barry Rodriguez               

September 16 , 2012 

Candlestick point , San Francisco- Last year when the Niners beat the Detroit Lions the big story was Jim Harbaugh slapping Jim Schwartz on the back . On Sunday there were no such distractions just a good hard nosed football game. For the second straight week the 49er's defense throttled a potent offense and Alex Smith AKA  " game manager " sans turnovers coolly executed Jim Harbaugh's offensive game plan .

The vibe is now different at home for the San Francisco 49ers. There was the expectation of a victory in the stadium . The only mystery for the fans was just how the win would be achieved ! It didn't take long to find out. Early in the first quarter , after the Niner defense took care of business, Alex Smith hooked up with Vernon Davis for a 21 yd touchdown pass. The Lions found themselves behind 7-0 and would be for the rest of the game.

The 49er defense surrendered only six points in the first half . Alex directed another touchdown drive that culminated in RB Frank Gore busting into the end zone from 1 yard out . The dynamic Detroit offense fronted by receiver Calvin Johnson " megatron " could only muster six points via two field goals in the entire first half. Alex Smith directed the Niner offense mixing running plays with mid range pass completions , while the hard hitting defense begrudgingly gave up yards, then held firm in the red zone. At the half the score was 14-6 in favor of San Francisco.

The Detroit defense were no slow pokes in this game but the 49ers offense never attempted any long pass plays in desperation and kept its cool ! The first half was typical Harbaugh football , hard hitting on the defense and grinding on the offense.

The second half was just a war of attrition as the Lions scrambled to catch up while the 49ers took time off the clock. Niner kicker David Akers put two field goals through the uprights from 36 and 48 yards respectively . The Lions really never were able to get going on offense until the waning moments of the game when their QB Matt Stafford passed 9 yards to Brandon Pettigrew for a touch down with only 1:29 left on the game clock. This was irrelevant because with three minute and change, Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis with a 23 yard pass for another Niner touchdown. That put the score at 27-12 and the rest was academic. The there was a mass exodus by the fans who wanted to get a jump on the usually bumper to bumper departure from Candlestick point !

It was another solid performance by the San Francisco 49ers but there is still much room for improvement. The offensive line was shaky at times , feeding poor Alex Smith to the Lions ! Pun intended ! The Niner receivers on one drive in the fourth quarter dropped three straight catch-able passes inducing mass groans from the fans. The defense was stellar again reducing the Detroit rushing game to a side show, forcing Stafford to make 32 passing attempts. Dashon Goldson picked off one Stafford pass by performing a shoe string catch. The Niners controlled the game clock.

Quarterback Alex Smith and RB Frank Gore were the foundation of this win. Gore rushed for 89 yards on 17 carries and 1 touchdown. Alex Smith passed for 206 yards , with 20 completions on 31 attempts, 2 touchdowns and most importantly no interceptions ! While the East Coast dominated media hypes up their darlings the 49ers will just go on playing their game , winning by eliminating errors. The team will continue to improve as the season goes on.

Note: This article is dedicated to the Foreign Service employees of the United States who risk their lives on overseas assignments . They represent our country regardless of which party stateside wins elections !