Both of these teams are coming off of very disappointing losses last week.  The Niners lost 23-20 at Carolina while the Raiders pounded the Broncos 59-14 in Denver!  The 49ers will be the “home team” this Sunday in London, England.  They left for London right after the game last Sunday while the Broncos decided to work out at home.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Raiders ran for 328 yards against the Broncos last week so you know that Frank Gore has to be foaming at the mouth about Sunday’s game.  Look for the Niners to also get rookie Anthony Dixon and Brian Westbrook out of mothballs to give Gore a breather once in a while.  Troy Smith is going to start at QB so don’t be surprised if he looks Ted Ginn’s way a lot in the passing game seeing how they hooked up so many times on big plays at Ohio State.  I still expect Vernon Davis to be the top target in the passing game this Sunday.

When the Broncos have the ball:  Kyle Orton is going to spread his WRs all over the field and throw the ball early and often.  The Broncos average 290.1 yards passing per game and I don’t see them changing what they do on offense this Sunday.  The Broncos are going to try to get the lead by throwing the ball to protect their defense from the 49ers’ running game.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 27, BRONCOS 24

The 49ers are very happy with 25-year old Ted Ginn as a return man.  Ginn has returned 12 kickoffs for 330 yards (27.5 avg) and he has also returned 11 punts for 97 yards (8.8 avg) so far in 4 games for the Niners this year.  The 49ers really need Ginn to step up as a WR because Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree just are not playing well right now.  Ginn has only caught 5 passes for 68 yards (13.6 avg) and he has also carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards so far this year.  With Troy Smith (his old buddy from Ohio State) playing at QB while Alex Smith is out of action due to injury, look for Ginn to be targeted a lot more in the passing game.  It’s up to him to step up with the added looks.

The 49ers will be without starting QB Alex Smith for the next 2-3 weeks due to a separated left shoulder which he suffered against the Panthers last Sunday.  Smith has played in all seven games for the Niners this year and he has completed 143 of 242 passes (59.1%) for 1,554 yards with 9 TD passes and 9 INTs (75.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 12 times for 43 yards (3.6 ypc) so far this year.  It was thought that David Carr would replace Smith as the starting QB just like he did when he relieved him after he was injured.  Carr completed 5 of 13 (38.5%) passes against the Panthers last week for 67 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (23.6 QB Rating).  Carr’s interception led to the Panthers’ game winning field goal last week.  26-year old Troy Smith has been named the starting QB for the Niners game this Sunday in London against the Broncos.  Smith has played in 14 games in his NFL career and he has completed 48 of 89 passes (53.9%) for 558 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (79.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 29 times for 109 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD grabs.  It will be interesting to see how well the former Heisman Award winner plays for the Niners while Alex Smith is out of action.

This was a really tough loss for the 49ers.  Alex Smith completed 9 of 19 passes for 129 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs before leaving the game with a left shoulder injury.  He did no return.  David Carr replaced him and he was awful.  He completed 5 of 13 passes for 67 yards with 0 TD passes and a interception with less than a minute left in the game that led to the Panthers’ game winning field goal.  Frank Gore had a very good game today as he carried the ball 19 times for 102 yards (5.4 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for another 57 yards (14.3 avg).  TE Vernon Davis also had a solid game for the Niners with 4 grabs for 74 yards (18.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The 49ers finished up with 99 yards rushing on 22 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 32 passes for 183 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 23:55.

The defense just couldn’t get off the field against the Panthers today.  LB Patrick Willis (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Nate Clements (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the 49ers on D today.  DT Ray McDonald (31-yard interception return for a TD), CB Shawntae Spencer (fumble recovery) and OLB Parys Haralson (fumble recovery) all had big plays in this game for the Niners’ D.  The Panthers finished up with 76 yards rushing on 34 carries (2.2 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 41 passes for 303 yards today.  The 49ers are now 1-6 on the year as they are sinking like a rock in deep water.

The San Francisco 49ers finally broke the seal last week against the Raiders beating them 17-9.  The Panthers are coming off a bye week so they have had two weeks to get ready for the 49ers.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  Other then the fact that the Panthers can’t rush the passer (they have 7 sacks this year) their defense isn’t that bad.  With that in mind the 49ers need Alex Smith to be smart with the football.  They will try to make things easier for him by letting him hand the ball off to Frank Gore a lot.  The Panthers are giving up 134.4 yards rushing per game but only 3.8 yards per carry so Gore will likely have to fight for every yard he gets.  The Panthers have 9 interceptions already this year so they need Smith to be careful especially when throwing the ball to Vernon Davis.  This would be the perfect game for Michael Crabtree to finally step up.

When the Panthers have the football:  QB Matt Moore will be back under center and WR Steve Smith will be back from injury so look for the Panthers to throw the ball a lot more than they have been.  If the Panthers’ O-Line gives Matt Moore time to throw the ball (Panthers’ QBs have been sacked 17 times this year already) then he could make some plays against a 49ers’ D that is allowing 201.2 yards passing per game.  If the 49ers were smart they would double WR Steve Smith the whole game and dare Moore to beat them throwing to someone else.  The more likely scenario though has the Panthers coming out running the ball with DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart against a 49ers’ D that is allowing 111.2 yards rushing and 3.9 yards per carry so far this year.  Patrick Willis better be ready for war this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, PANTHERS 16

30-year old cornerback Nate Clements is playing solid football for the Niners this year.  He has played in 6 games for the 49ers this year and he has 29 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble.  Clements has now played in 44 games in his 4 years with the 49ers and he has 219 tackles, 34 passes defensed, 1 sack, 5 forced fumbles and 9 interceptions.  The 49ers need Clements to keep up the good work because the Niners have not been scoring a lot of points this year.

The 49ers broke the seal today winning their first football game of the year by playing efficient offensively while dominating on defense.  Alex Smith was a little better than usual today as he completed 16 of 33 passes for 196 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Frank Gore was very solid running the ball with 149 yards rushing on 25 carries (6.0 ypc) today.  WR Michael Crabtree (4 rec, 57 yards, TD), WR Josh Morgan (3 rec, 49 yards) and TE Vernon Davis (4 rec, 35 yards, TD) led the way for the Niners in the passing game today.  The 49ers finished up with 158 yards rushing on 31 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 33 passes for 191 yards today as they had possession of the football for 33:21.

LBs Takeo Spikes (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), Patrick Willis (6 tackles) and Manny Lawson (2 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Niners on D today.  The Raiders finished up with 110 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 8 of 21 passes for 69 yards.  The 49ers are now 1-5 on the year.

The Raiders are a team that cashes in on mistakes that the opponents make as they beat the Chargers last week despite being out-yarded 506-279!  The 49ers on the other hand are a team that gives the ball away at a very alarming rate.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  There are plays to be made against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 147.8 yards rushing (4.8 ypc) and 198.0 yards passing (QB Rate of 101.2).  But the Niners have to protect the football.   The Niners need to throw the ball down the field in this game to Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn to help out up the short stuff to Vernon Davis and Frank Gore.  The Niners will likely get the ball in Gore’s hands even more than usual in this game as the Raiders have not stopped anyone from running the ball against them this year.

When the Raiders have the ball:  Michael Bush is likely going to be the focal point of the offense in this game for the Raiders so the Niners will need to tighten up the chinstraps as Bush is a big, power back.  The 49ers are giving up 227.6 yards passing per game so if Jason Campbell has time to throw the ball he will likely have success.  TE Zach Miller is his favorite target but he will also likely go up top to Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey a few times in this game.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 23, 49ERS 20

Alex Smith showed a glimpse last season that he might turn out to be the QB the Niners thought they were getting when they picked him.  But he has regressed big time so far this year to the point where the Niners have to seriously consider benching him in favor of David Carr.  Smith has played in 5 games for the Niners so far this year and he has completed 118 of 190 passes (62.1%) for 1,229 yards with 6 TD passes and 9 INTs (71.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 8 times for 45 yards (5.6 ypc) so far this year.  Head coach Mike Singletary has to know that he’s on the hot seat right now so he can’t afford to keep playing Smith unless he starts to play better starting this Sunday against the Raiders.

The 49ers have claimed 24-year old safety C.J. Spillman off waivers from the Chargers.  Spillman played in 5 games for the Chargers and he had 6 tackles.  He has played in 10 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 19 tackles.  Spillman should replace Curtis Taylor on special teams and defense until he’s ready to return to action.