Despite Alex Smith having a great debut last week the Niners will likely run the ball a lot this week in a attempt to keep the ball away from the Colts.  Frank Gore will take dead aim at a Colts’ D that is allowing 111.8 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The 49ers will then run a lot of play action passes to slow the Colts’ pass rush a little bit as Dwight Freeney (7 sacks) and Robert Mathis (4 sacks) bring the heat from the outside while the Niners are having issues at OT.  With that in mind the Niners will likely keep the passes shorter than they did last week to Vernon Davis, Josh Morgan, Michael Crabtree and Isaac Bruce. 

The Colts have the best pass blocking offensive line in all of football as Peyton Manning has only been sacked two times this season.  With that in mind the Niners might be better off using more zone coverages and using extra DBs on the field.  The Colts might be without Reggie Wayne who has a groin issue.  If he doesn’t play then Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark will do the heavy lifting against a Niners’ D that is allowing 236.0 yards passing per game this season.  The Niners are very solid against the run so don’t look for Joseph Addai to have a good game on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 27, 49ERS 23