The San Francisco 49ers will be without star running back Frank Gore for a couple of weeks due to a high ankle sprain.  He has played in all three games for the Niners this season and he has carried the ball 39 times for 241 yards (6.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 8 passes for 57 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.  Rookie Glen Coffee will replace Gore in the starting lineup and he has not looked too good yet.  He has carried the ball 35 times for 64 yards (1.8 ypc) and he has caught 2 passes for 16 yards (8.0 avg).  The Niners are also considering adding Kory Sheets from the practice squad.  He was outstanding for the Niners in the pre-season and I’m sure they remember that.  Still, this is a huge blow to the Niners’ offense and running game as Gore is the best player on the offense.

UPDATE:  Gore will be out the next three weeks.

The San Francisco 49ers (2-1) lost their first game of the year in a heart-breaker to the Minnesota Vikings (3-0).  Vikings’ quarterback Brett Favre looked like his old self as he brought the Vikings from behind to win it late.  He capped off a 4th quarter drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass to reserve receiver Greg Lewis with only two seconds left to win the game.  It was a somewhat lucky grab, and a review of the play showed Lewis barely kept his feet in the back of the end-zone.

The 49ers defense did a pretty good job containing the dangerous Adrian Peterson to 85 yards, although Peterson was able to get a big 35-yard run in the first quarter.  They did a decent job on Favre as well, as he only completed 24/46 passes (52%) and had an interception.  He did end up with two touchdowns and over 300 yards passing, but the 49ers did do a good job pressuring Favre and Favre didn’t have a good game until that final game winning drive.  The special teams gave up a huge play today though, as they allowed Vikings’ Percy Harvin return a 101 yard touchdown.  Without that play, the 49ers probably win this game.

The 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill had a solid game as he went for 195 yards on 15/25 (60%) with two touchdowns and one interception.  Hill and the 49ers offense sorely missed their star running back Frank Gore who left the game after only one carry with an ankle sprain.  He had 207 yards last week against Seattle and without Gore today the 49ers were only able to amount 58 yards on the ground.  The 49ers need a healthy Gore back to keep their offense going and they take on the St. Louis Rams at home next week.

The San Francisco 49ers (2-0) are taking on the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) at the Metrodome this Sunday.  The two unbeaten teams both have a very strong running attack behind two very talented running backs in the 49ers’ Frank Gore and the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson.  The 49ers defense will have their hands full with Peterson, even though he is battling a back injury.  The Vikings have not had much of a challenge in their first two match-ups, as they beat the pathetic Detroit Lions and the average (at best) Cleveland Browns.  They had to come from behind in both of those wins too, as they got off to slow starts in both games.

Vikings’ quarterback Brett Favre hasn’t done much so far this season, but hasn’t really needed to do much as Adrian Peterson has been virtually unstoppable.  Shaun Hill has done a good job for the 49ers managing the game and not making mistakes, but just like Favre he has a talented running back to keep giving the ball to.  That talented running back he is handing off has an ankle issue to deal with though.  Gore sprained his right ankle late in last weeks game, but he should be ready to go.  This may limit his explosiveness and he probably wont be as effective as he was last week when he rushed for over 200 yards.

The 49ers have been playing some very good football, but I think the Vikings are the more talented team.  The Vikings have proved they can come from behind and win games, even though it was against some weak competition.  With Frank Gore’s ankle not at 100% and the Vikings with the most explosive player in the league in Adrian Peterson, I just don’t think the 49ers have enough to win and the Vikings will win a pretty close game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  49ers 24, Vikings 30

The 49ers pushed the Seahawks around yesterday.  Shaun Hill was managing the game well as he completed 19 of 26 passes for 144 yards without a TD or a interception.  This was Frank Gore’s day as he scored on TD runs of 79 and 80 yards.  He finished up this game with an amazing 207 yards rushing on 16 carries (12.9 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 39 yards (7.8 avg).  The Niners finished up with 379 total yards in this game (256 rushing, 123 passing) as they held onto the football for 34:31.

Although he didn’t lead the team in tackles with 5, Patrick Willis knocked out Matt Hasselbeck right before the half with a good hit.  S Michael Lewis (9 tackles) and CB Nate Clements (6 tackles, 4 passes defensed) helped slow the Seahawks’ passing game.  The Seahawks finished with 283 total yards on offense in this game (66 rushing, 217 passing).  The Niners are now 2-0 with wins over the division rival Seahawks and Cardinals.

The Niners have signed 29-year old OT Tony Pashos to a 1-year deal.  Pashos is a big guy at 6′6″, 326 pounds with a nasty attitude.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Jaguars last season.  He has now played in 69 games (54 starts) in his six year NFL career.  The 49ers are not happy with Adam Snyder at RT and it is only a matter of time until he’s pushed to the bench by Pashos.