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49ers finally in the win column, assist to the Raiders
By Morris Phillips October 17, 2010 |
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With a 0-5 record and an NFL-leading nine interceptions, Alex Smith kept his starting spot, but he took on the Raiders Sunday with an implicit mandate. “I talked about it all week with (new offensive coordinator) Mike Johnson. We were going to go after guys a little bit, but if it wasn’t there, get rid of the ball, throw it away and be smart and really manage the game,” Smith said. And for the first time in 2010, the 49ers played turnover-free football, but throwing footballs away doesn’t make for a knockout performance. Good thing the Raiders were in town. The 49ers ended their nightmare opening of the season with a victory over the Raiders, who were more than gracious in allowing the home team plenty of opportunity to sputter and slip, before they gained traction in the second half and pulled past Oakland for a 17-9 win. In this one Frank Gore’s 64-yard run and Smith’s pair of second half touchdown passes were highlights, but Jason Campbell’s dreadful afternoon and Smith’s frequent misfires—planned and unplanned—made just as big an impression. For 60 minutes, it felt like Campbell and the Raiders were operating on a 110-yard field—minus their opponent’s end zone—and Smith was playing on a field 10 yards wider than standard on each sideline with the number of balls he threw out of bounds. But with a pair of once-proud NFL franchises, both seven years removed from a winning season, meeting in an aging stadium with lousy weather, you could say this one didn’t disappoint. If nothing else, the first regular season Battle of the Bay since 2006 served as a joint announcement that the Raiders and 49ers will extend their losing streaks to an eighth season. The Raiders controlled play early with a 13-play, run-heavy drive that ate up half the first quarter, but only produced a 27-yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal. A well-executed 43-yard reverse to Louis Murphy on the first play of the second quarter got the Raiders moving again, but a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter would be the Raiders apex. Meanwhile the 49ers were struggling mightily with three minutes of possession, just two first downs and Smith opening 0 for 2 passing, all before the Niners quarterback was sacked by Oakland’s Matt Shaughnessy on the 49ers’ first offensive play of the second quarter. Normally, an NFL team gets buried after such a slow start. But on Sunday, the Raiders didn’t bring shovels or finish the job. Instead, Oakland mimicked the 49ers’ lackluster beginning. “The game really comes down to opportunity,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said. “We had a ton of opportunity, offensively to score. We did not score, we were not very good in the red zone. We let them hang around.” After establishing the 6-0 lead, the Raiders went three-and-out on five straight possessions and gained just—no typo—four yards total. They ran three offensive plays, and held the ball for two minutes in the third quarter and found themselves down 10-6 early in the fourth quarter when the fog lifted. And with the game still up for grabs, they got moving again, but an eight-play drive produced only a third Janikowski field goal. The 49ers answered with Gore’s big run and a game-clinching touchdown catch by Vernon Davis one play later. Under Johnson, the 49ers have vowed to put the ball in the hands of their biggest producers, and they have delivered. Against Oakland, Gore carried 25 times for 149 yards, and Davis and Michael Crabtree were the recipients on half of the 49ers’ 16 receptions. Defensively, the 49ers took advantage of the Raiders’ struggling offensive line, limiting Campbell’s opportunities to scan the field for receivers, and throttling Michael Bush, who gained 47 yards on 20 carries. Taylor Mays, in his second start at safety, had a tough time with Oakland’s talented tight end, Zach Miller, but he proved plenty physical, separating Murphy from the ball on a first quarter play. “We’ve still got a lot of work cut out. It’s definitely one that builds momentum for us. We’ve just got to go ahead and get another one this week,” 49ers’ safety Dashon Goldson said. COULD JED YORK PROVE PROPHETIC?: Team owner Jed York announced that the 49ers would be a playoff team in 2010… after last week’s loss to the Eagles that dropped the team to 0-5. Sounds crazy, right? Probably, but York was no doubt looking at the 49ers’ remaining schedule that has 0-5 Carolina up next, and no teams with a winning record in the final 10 games. In fact, the 49ers toughest tests will be their final three road contests against Green Bay (3-3), San Diego (2-4) and St. Louis (3-3). Five of the 49ers’ six divisional games are still to be played, and no team in the NFC West has more than three wins. The entire NFC playoff picture has an undecided look with the Vikings and Cowboys struggling, and all 16 teams with at least two losses. If nothing else, the 49ers have a lot of important football still to play. GORE BECOMING A FIXTURE IN THE 49ERS’ RECORD BOOK: In the period following the 49ers last playoff appearance in 2002, little of consequence has transpired for the red and gold. But the one significant development has to be the stellar career of Frank Gore, whose assault on the team’s record book continued on Sunday. Gore moved into third place on the 49ers’ all-time rushing list, passing Ken Willard with a total of 6, 032 yards. Gore trails only Roger Craig and Joe Perry, and if he maintains his health, could pass both players in 2011. |
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