The 49ers have waived 28-year old WR Braylon Edwards.  Edwards played in 9 games for the Niners this year and he caught 15 passes for 181 yards (12.1 avg).  He has now played in 99 games in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has caught 341 passes for 5,323 yards (15.6 avg) with 39 TD grabs.  It’s kind of surprising that the Niners cut Edwards, but they must think that he isn’t better than the guys they already have at WR.  It’s hard for me to question the 49ers right now as the are rolling.

The 49ers won a super tough battle with the Seahawks last Saturday.  Alex Smith was so-so in this game as he completed 14 of 26 passes for 179 yards without a TD pass or INT.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 22 yards (4.4 ypc).  Frank Gore led the way for the Niners on the ground in this game with 83 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kendall Hunter also had a very solid game with 73 yards rushing on 12 carries (6.1 ypc).  WR Michael Crabtree (5 rec, 85 yards) and TE Vernon Davis (4 rec, 54 yards) led the way in the passing game for the 49ers.  The 49ers finished up with 178 yards rushing on 40 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 26 passes (53.8%) for 171 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:54.

The Niners didn’t play too well against the run, but they were sharp against the pass in this game.  LBs NaVorro Bowman (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) and Larry Grant (12 tackles) led the way for the Niners on D in this game.  DT Ray McDonald (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) and safety Donte Whitner (3 tackles and 1 interception) also pitched in for the Niners in this game.  The Seahawks finished up with 126 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 28 passes (53.6%) for 141 yards in this game.  The 49ers are now 12-3 on the year.

The 49ers have to travel to Seattle to deal with the Seahawks on a short week.  The Niners thumped the Steelers 20-3 last Monday Night in Frisco, so they will need to not have a let down today as Seattle is a tough place to play.  The 49ers beat the Seahawks in San Francisco, 33-17 earlier this year.  The Seahawks have really been playing well lately.  They have won their last three games by a combined score of 99-41!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners likely want to run the ball a lot today with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, but they will have to fight for every yard as the Seahawks are giving up 106.3 yards rushing per game but only 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Niners have been throwing the ball down the field more as confidence continues to grow concerning QB Alex Smith.  If Smith has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have success today.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks have really turned into a running team as of late and that isn’t likely to change today.  That is fine with the Niners as they are only giving up 71.5 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.  RB Marshawn Lynch is going to have to fight for every yard he gets today.  The Niners are going to put a heavy rush on Tarvaris Jackson to try to force him into making some mistakes in this game.  Jackson is running out of healthy receivers.

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 16, 49ERS 14

The San Francisco 49ers whipped the Steelers last night!  Alex Smith was very efficient in this game as he completed 18 of 31 passes for 187 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 12 yards (4.0 ypc) in this game.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the 49ers with 65 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  TE Vernon Davis led the way for the Niners in the passing game with 72 yards receiving on 6 grabs (12.0 avg) with a TD catch.  WRs Michael Crabtree (4 rec, 35 yards) and Kyle Williams (4 rec, 33 yards) also pitched in for the Niners in this game.  The 49ers finished up with 100 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 31 passes (58.1%) for 187 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:34.

The Niners gave up a lot of yards last night, but they made the big plays that essentially won the game!  LB NaVorro Bowman (8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss), safety Dashon Goldson (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), LB Ahmad Brooks (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and OLB Aldon Smith (4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 7 QB hits and a key forced fumble) led the way for the Niners last night.  CB Carlos Rogers (INT), CB Tarell Brown (INT) and DE Justin Smith (fumble recovery) also made huge plays last night for the 49ers.  The Steelers finished up with 84 yards rushing on 19 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 44 passes (56.8%) for 305 yards.  The 49ers are now 11-3 on the year.

This is a huge game for both teams on Monday Night Football as they would each like a bye in the first week of the playoffs.  The Niners have now lost two of their last three games.  The Steelers have won 4 games in a row and 8 of their last 9 games, so they are red hot right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers aren’t going to change.  They are going to run the ball first with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter against a Steelers’ D that is giving up 97.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  They are likely to stick with the running game, which for some reason teams have not done against the Steelers.  The Niners must protect Alex Smith in this game as he was sacked 9 times just three weeks ago by the Ravens.  The Steelers are going to be blitzing when they get off the team bus on Monday Night.  The way to beat the blitz is with short passes.  That means that Smith is going to need to get back to throwing to his TEs (Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker) as well as WRs Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn and Kyle Williams.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to try to be balanced to protect QB Ben Roethlisberger, who is gimpy right now.  Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman are unlikely to dent the Niners’ D, as they are only giving up 70.5 yards rushing per game and 3.2 yards per carry so far this year.  The 49ers are also going to have to blitz a lot and try to get Roethlisberger out of this game.  He has solid deep threats in WRs Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, so the Niners can’t allow him time to throw the ball, period.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 16, 49ERS 13

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s faith in 27-year old QB Alex Smith has paid off in spades.  Smith is playing, by far, the best football of his NFL career so far this year.  He has played in 13 games for the 49ers this year and he has completed 221 of 358 passes (61.7%) for 2,565 yards with 15 TD passes and 5 INTs (91.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 39 times for 141 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  The 49ers need Alex Smith to keep playing well if they are going to make a legit Super Bowl run this season.

The Cardinals seemed to want this game more than the Niners did and that’s why they won.  Alex Smith did not play well at all yesterday as he completed 18 of 37 passes for 175 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the Niners in this game with 72 yards rushing on 10 carries (7.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kendall Hunter pitched in with 8 carries for 20 yards (2.5 ypc) and 2 catches for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  WRs Michael Crabtree (7 rec, 63 yards) and Kyle Williams (4 rec, 42 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Niners.  The 49ers finished up with 90 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 37 passes (48.6%) for 143 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:56.

The defense was solid against the run but not so good against the pass yesterday.  LB Larry Grant (11 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and safety Donte Whitner (5 tackles and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Niners on D in this game.  DT Ray McDonald (fumble recovery), safety Dashon Goldson (interception) and CB Tarell Brown (interception) also made big plays in this game on D for the Niners.  The Cardinals finished up with 55 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 270 yards.  The 49ers are now 10-3 on the year.

The 49ers completely shut down the Cardinals, 26-0 last weekend.  They beat the Cardinals 23-7 in San Francisco just three weeks ago.  That was the only game the Cardinals have lot in their last five games and they will have Kevin Kolb under center this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers will likely go with the conservative approach as they ran the ball 42 times in the first meeting between these two teams.  The Cardinals are giving up 119.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry, so Frank Gore should have a good game this Sunday.  Look for Kendall Hunter to also be involved in the running attack this weekend in an attempt to keep Gore healthy.  Alex Smith should have time to throw the ball this weekend, so look for him to continue to target WRs Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams and Ted Ginn down the field.  The Cardinals are giving up 251.1 yards passing per game, so the Niners should be o.k. this weekend when throwing the ball.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals will be a different team than the one the Niners played three weeks ago.  Kevin Kolb will be under center instead of John Skelton, so look for the passing game to be much improved.  The Niners need to get to Kolb, or he could make some plays down the field to Larry Fitzgerald.  That could be trouble for the Niners as Fitzgerald is one of the best WRs in the NFL.  WRs Early Doucet and Andre Roberts have also been stepping up this year lately, so the secondary could have their hands full.  The Niners’ front seven will have a challenge in stopping Beanie Wells, as he is a high impact running back when healthy.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, CARDINALS 20

22-year old OLB Aldon Smith has been outstanding as a rookie for the Niners this year.  He was the 49ers’ first round pick last April out of Missouri.  He has played in all 12 games for the Niners so far this year and he has 23 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed.  The defense has been a big part of the 49ers’ success this year and Aldon Smith has been a big part of it.  His upside has got to be scary for the rest of the teams in the NFC West.

The 49ers completely dominated the hapless St. Louis Rams yesterday.  Alex Smith was very solid for the Niners in this game as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 274 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 10 yards (5.0 ypc) in this game.  Rookie Colin Kaepernick made a brief appearance in which he threw 2 incomplete passes.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the Niners in this game with 21 carries for 73 yards (3.5 ypc).  WRs Michael Crabtree (4 rec, 96 yards, TD) and Kyle Williams (2 receptions for 66 yards, TD and 1 carry for 25 yards) led the way for the Niners in the passing game yesterday.  WR Ted Ginn (4 rec, 56 yards and 1 carry for 16 yards) and TE Vernon Davis (5 rec, 32 yards) also had solid games for the Niners yesterday.  The 49ers finished up with 144 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 25 passes (68%) for 245 yards as they had possession of the ball for 36:04.

The defense was awesome for the Niners yesterday.  LBs NaVorro Bowman (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) and Larry Grant (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the 49ers on D in this game.  OLB Aldon Smith (3 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits and 1 fumble recovery) and safety Dashon Goldson (3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also made huge plays in this game for the Niners.  The Rams finished up with 31 yards rushing on 23 carries (1.3 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 22 passes (54.5%) for 126 yards.  The 49ers are now 10-2 on the season.