The Niners built up a 17-3 lead at the half before coasting the rest of the way.  Alex Smith was in game manager mode for the Niners and he completed 15 of 24 passes for 177 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 22 yards (5.5 ypc) in this game.  Frank Gore was very solid for the Niners yesterday with 31 carries for 134 yards (4.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kendall Hunter pitched in with 3 carries for 26 yards (8.7 ypc) in this game.  WR Michael Crabtree (5 rec, 54 yards, TD) led the way for the 49ers in this game.  WR Braylon Edwards (4 rec, 42 yards), TE Vernon Davis (3 rec, 27 yards) and OT Joe Staley (1 rec, 17 yards) also pitched in for the Niners in the passing game.  DT Isaac Sopoaga also pitched in with 1 catch for 18 yards in this game.  The Niners finished up with 174 yards rushing on 39 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes (62.5%) for 174 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:53.

The defense was outstanding for the 49ers yesterday.  LBs NaVorro Bowman (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and Patrick Willis (7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the 49ers in this game on D.  LB Ahmad Brooks (3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits), safety Dashon Goldson (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and DT Isaac Sopoaga (1 tackle, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in with big plays for the Niners’ D in this game.  The Browns finished up with 66 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 34 passes (64.7%) for 224 yards.  The Niners are now 6-1 on the season.

The San Francisco 49ers are on a roll right now as they are on a 4-game winning streak.  Hopefully the bye week doesn’t slow them down.  The Browns won 6-3 against the Seahawks in Cleveland last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to go with what has worked all season long.  They are going to feed the ball to Frank Gore against a Browns’ D that is allowing 119.0 yards rushing per game so far this year but only 3.9 yards per carry.  That means that Gore is going to have to fight for every yard he gets.  The Browns are only giving up 172 yards passing per game so far this year, so Alex Smith isn’t likely going to have a big day.  The Niners just want him to manage the game well tomorrow while protecting the football.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns ran the ball a lot last weekend with Montario Hardesty and Chris Ogbonnaya.  The Niners hope they come with the same gameplan as stopping the run is their defenses’ specialty.  The Niners are only giving up 74.7 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry so far this year.  The Niners do have issues stopping the passing game, so don’t be surprised to see the Browns take the shackles off of Colt McCoy tomorrow.  Greg Little, Evan Moore and Josh Cribbs are likely going to get most of the passes thrown their way tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, BROWNS 17

Josh Morgan was starting to really pick up the pace for the Niners when he was seriously injured.  His season ended with 15 catches for 220 yards (14.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Michael Crabtree was a first round pick of the Niners back in 2010, so they thought a lot of him when the picked him.  He needs to step up right now!  Crabtree has caught 20 passes for 209 yards (10.5 avg) without any TD grabs so far this year.  Ted Ginn Jr. has been an excellent return man but he has only caught 6 passes for 62 yards (10.3 avg).  Braylon Edwards has been banged up most of this year.  He has only caught 4 passes for 48 yards (12.0 avg) so far this year.  Kyle Williams has pitched in with 2 grabs for 16 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.  The 49ers need someone to really step up out of this bunch.

The San Francisco 49ers are averaging 131.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The running game is allowing the Niners to chew the clock while also making things a lot easier for Alex Smith.  Frank Gore has really picked up the pace the last couple of weeks.  He has played in six games for the Niners so far this year and he has carried the ball 109 times for 541 yards (5.0 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Gore has also caught 12 passes for 71 yards (5.9 avg) so far this year as he has been a workhorse for the Niners.  Rookie Kendall Hunter is making a good first impression for the Niners.  He has played in all six games for the 49ers so far this year and he has carried the ball 37 times for 166 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Hunter has also caught 4 passes for 74 yards (18.5 avg) this year.  He has been playing really well and he has given Frank Gore to get a break once in a while.  Anthony Dixon hasn’t been used much so far this year.  He has played in all six games for the 49ers this year but he has only carried the ball 4 times for 10 yards (2.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Niners need to keep the running game cranked up the rest of the year.

The 49ers scored 10 points in the last 1:51 of the game yesterday to steal an impressive road win over the Lions.  Alex Smith was in game manager mode as he completed 17 of 32 passes for 125 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the Niners in this game with 141 yards on 15 carries (9.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kendall Hunter pitched in with 33 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.1 ypc) in this game.  WR Michael Crabtree (9 rec, 77 yards) and TE Delanie Walker (2 rec, 11 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Niners.  Ted Ginn pitched in with 2 grabs for 24 yards (12.0 avg) and he also carried the ball 2 times for 21 yards (10.5 avg).  The 49ers finished up with 203 yards rushing on 29 carries (7.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 111 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:39.

The defense was pretty solid overall against the potent Lions’ offense yesterday.  LB NaVorro Bowman led the way for the Niners in this game with 14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  DE Justin Smith (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1.5 sacks and 3 QB hits), LB Patrick Willis (7 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 QB hit) and safety Dashon Goldson (7 tackles) also had solid games for the Niners yesterday.  LBs Ahmad Brooks (5 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits) and Aldon Smith (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and a safety) also pitched in on D.  The Lions finished up with 66 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 50 passes (56%) for 244 yards.  The 49ers are now 5-1 on the season.

This is going to be a pretty impressive battle at Ford Field this Sunday.  The 49ers are 2-0 on the road as they have outscored their opponents 37-31.  The Lions have been dominating at home though where they are 2-0, outscoring their opponents 72-16!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners are going to come out running the ball with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter against a Lions’ D that is allowing 114.8 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Niners are going to try to control the ball and the clock on the ground this weekend, as usual.  The Lions have a solid pass rush (12 sacks this year), so Alex Smith is likely to be under some duress this Sunday.  That means he will be working on the short stuff with TE Vernon Davis being his top target.

When the Lions have the ball:  The front seven is going to have their hands full with Jahvid Best, who exploded last Monday Night against the Bears.  The Niners are going to have to find a way to put some pressure on Lions’ QB Matt Stafford (he has only been sacked six times so far this year).  That is because, if Stafford has time to throw the ball, he’s going to sting a 49ers’ D that is allowing 264.4 yards passing per game.  WR Calvin Johnson (29 rec, 451 yards, 9 TDs) is going to require double team help, which is going to mean single coverage on everyone else.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 24, 49ERS 17

27-year old QB Alex Smith is playing the best football of his NFL career right now for the 49ers.  He has played in all five games for the Niners so far this year and he has completed 83 of 126 passes (65.9%) for 965 yards with 7 TD passes and 1 INT (104.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Smith has been a excellent “game manager” type of QB for the Niners as new head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t asking him to win games with his arm.

The 49ers have signed 26-year old WR Brett Swain.  Swain played in all 16 games for the Packers last year and he caught 6 passes for 72 yards (12.0 avg).  He also had 3 tackles last year.  Swain has now played in 22 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has caught 6 passes for 72 yards (12.0 avg).  He also has six tackles in his career.  Swain will help the Niners on special teams and give them depth at WR going forward.

The San Francisco might be without 26-year old WR Josh Morgan for the rest of the season as he broke his leg in garbage time against the Buccaneers last Sunday.  Morgan has played in 5 games for the Niners this year and he has caught 15 passes for 220 yards (14.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Niners are hoping that 26-year old Ted Ginn will step up and into the starting lineup.  Ginn has played in all 5 games for the Niners so far this year and he has caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5 avg).  Ginn has also carried the ball 2 times for 24 yards (12.0 ypc) so far this year.  This is going to put a lot on Ted Ginn’s plate as he has been awesome as the punt and kickoff return man so far this year for the 49ers.  Ginn has returned 9 kickoffs for 309 yards (34.3 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 17 punts for 201 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD return so far this year for the Niners.

UPDATE:  (10/13/2011) – The 49ers have placed Josh Morgan on the Injured Reserve List ending his season.

The San Francisco 49ers kicked the crap out of the Buccaneers yesterday!  Alex Smith was sharp in a game manager role yesterday as he completed 11 of 19 passes for 170 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Colin Kaepernick made his NFL debut late in this game and he completed all 3 of his pass attempts, good for 35 yards.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the Niners in this game with 125 yards rushing on 20 carries (6.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 18 yards (9.0 avg) in this game.  Kendall Hunter pitched in with 65 yards rushing on 9 carries (7.2 ypc) and Anthony Dixon had 2 carries for 4 yards (2.0 ypc) with a TD run also helped out with the Niners in the running game yesterday.  WR Josh Morgan (5 rec, 75 yards), TE Vernon Davis (3 rec, 39 yards, 2 TD grabs) and TE Delanie Walker (2 rec, 37 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Niners.  The 49ers  finished up with 213 yards rushing on 36 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 22 passes (63.6%) for 205 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:03.

Linebackers Patrick Willis (12 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) and NaVorro Bowman (6 tackles) led the way for the Niners’ D yesterday, as usual.  CB Carlos Rogers (interception that he returned 31 yards for a TD) and CB Chris Culliver (interception) also made big plays for the Niners in this game.  The Buccaneers finished up with 86 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 35 passes (51.4%) for 186 yards.  The Niners are now a solid 4-1 on the year.