San Francisco 49ers Defense Coming of Age vs. Rams

Entering this season, many NFL experts predicted that the San Francisco 49ers' defense would be as bad or worse than last season, and that was saying quite a bit, since the unit ranked last in 2005. In Week 2 of the NFL season, the 49ers set out to prove doubters of their defense wrong.The Rams may no longer be 6 Super Bowl Champions jersey White jersey
"The Greatest Show On Turf," but they still have explosive offensive weapons. Considering the 49ers' sorry state of a defensive backfield, and lack of any semblance of a pass rush, this game should have been of highlight reel-caliber for the Rams. Veteran CB Walt Harris, who joined the 49ers this offseason, had other plans, though, as did DE Bryant Young, DE Marques Douglas, LB Manny Lawson and DB Chad Williams. Harris led the team with seven tackles, and helped to neutralize the high-powered Rams receivers. The others amounted six sacks between them, including two each from Lawson and Williams and a forced fumble from Douglas.Through a combination of improved play and good defensive schemes, the 49ers managed to hold the Rams to only 13 points. It was one of the best performances this team has had on defense in years. What further magnifies the unit's effort is that it was on the field for approximately 10 minutes longer than the Rams' defense. In past years that would have meant a fatigued defense ready for the picking, but not this time around.Despite not holding the ball for long, the 49ers' offense did its share to win the game, too. QB Alex Smith (11-for-22 for 233 yards, one TD), RB Frank Gore (29 carries for 127 yards, one TD), WR Antonio Bryant (four receptions for 131 yards, one TD) and Arnaz Battle (three receptions for 78 yards) all had very good outings. Ultimately, though, San Francisco won this game because of defense - and that is something few would have expected coming into 2006. As the team looks forward to the rest of the season, it can fully expect to be competitive each week, as long as the defense continues to hold up its end of the bargain.The next step for the 49ers will be to 4 Brett Favre White jersey
learn how to win - something that was not evident this past week, despite the victory. San Francisco did not dominate this game like a team that knows how to win would. Learning to pray on an opponent's weakness and to control the game is something the 49ers still have to learn - and it probably will not be something that the team picks up after only a few games. Nevertheless, the 20-13 victory was a big win for a 49ers team that many thought would be in the bottom five of the NFL. San Fran can thank its defense for helping pull off the upset.All the latest 49ers news, game information, and resources- you can also contact Bryan Hersh from there.