The San Francisco 49ers (5-7) beat down on the Arizona Cardinals (8-4) in their first matchup this season, but it was the first game of the season and the Cardinals are a much different team now.  They just beat Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings convincingly, where their offense and defense played great.  The 49ers are going to need a big game out of Alex Smith if they want a chance, but with the way the Cardinals handled the future hall-of-famer Favre, it doesn’t seem likely that Smith will have a big day.  Smith is coming of one of his best games though, so if he can get some help from Frank Gore and the running game, they may be able to keep up with Warner and the Cardinals’ potent offense.

Warner and the Cardinals’ offense has been looking very good the past few weeks.  Warner has been having no problem finding his receivers, and he has been finding them for some big plays.  The 49ers cannot let Warner make any of those big plays, but it will be difficult with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin both making great plays.  This matchup doesn’t look good for the 49ers, so I am going with the Cardinals in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Francisco 49ers 24, Arizona Cardinals 34

The San Francisco 49ers (4-6) have been in a lot of close games in the past few weeks and have been coming out of them on the losing end more often than not.  They will be looking to end that trend as they host the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) Sunday.  Alex Smith needs to stop throwing interceptions, and if he can do that the 49ers will probably win.  The only problem is that Smith has thrown a pick in every game he has started this season, so it’s safe to say he will probably turn the ball over in this contest too.  Frank Gore will need to have one of his big games to negate Smith’s poor play, but it may not be enough as the Jaguars have been sticking to a successful conservative, turnover free game-plan of ball control.

The 49ers’ defense has not been very good against the pass, giving up 256 passing yards per game.  Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard doesn’t put up a ton of yards, but he has been taking care of the ball and has been very accurate lately.  He also has Maurice Jones-Drew to rely on, who has been averaging 4.8 yards per carry this season.  Jones-Drew has a knee injury though, and it may very well limit what he can do.  Reports say he should be okay though, so I am going to pick the Jaguars in a close win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICITON:  San Francisco 49ers 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 24

The San Francisco 49ers (4-5) are clinging to life in the NFC playoff picture and will need a great effort on the road against the Green Bay Packers (5-4) Sunday.  Both teams are coming very strong defensive performances, but the 49ers were basically handed the game last week against the Bears where Jay Cutler threw 5 interceptions.  The Packers nearly shut out a very good offensive team in the Dallas Cowboys, so the 49ers offense better have a good game-plan ready against an aggressive Packers defense.  I don’t see Alex Smith having that a strong of a game in this one, as he has struggled the past three weeks and the Packers pass defense is ranked 6th in the league.  What Smith needs to do is not turn the ball over and let the running game attack.  If Smith can provide enough production without turning the ball over, it will open things up for Frank Gore and the 49ers will have a chance at winning.

Don’t expect another defensive game like last week, as the Bears offense played horrible.  The Packers are led by Aaron Rodgers who has proven he is one the top quarterbacks in the game.  Rodgers has already thrown for over 2,400 yards this season and has 17 touchdowns compared to only 5 interceptions.  Rodgers gets very little protection though, so the 49ers will be able to get some sacks on him.  If that can lead to some turnovers for the 49ers, they will have a great opportunity to win the game.  The 49ers need to be ready for Packers’ running back Ryan Grant too.  Grant hasn’t been great this year, but he is a strong and effective runner who is averaging 4.2 yards per carry.  The 49ers will have a chance but I think Rodgers is too good, and the 49ers don’t get enough out of Smith at quarterback, so I’m taking the Packers in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Green Bay Packers 31, San Francisco 49ers 21

The San Francisco 49ers (3-5) are hosting the Chicago Bears (4-4) tomorrow night and the game will be shown on the NFL Network.  The 49ers have been playing well after starting 3-1 this season, losing their last four.  The Bears have been playing below expectations as well, losing their last three out of four games.  The 49ers will need a much better game from quarterback Alex Smith, who had three interceptions and two fumbles last game.  Smith needs to do a much better job of taking care of the ball.  Mike Singletary is facing his former team, where he was a hall of fame linebacker for the Bears.  Singletary may need to limit Smith, tell him not to gamble, and just manage the game.  If they do go the conservative route with Smith, then they will need another big game from Frank Gore.  Smith can hit Gore with a lot of short passes like he did last week, and let Gore make some plays with his legs.

The 49ers may need Smith to do a little bit more than that though, as Jay Cutler has the ability to put up some points for the Bears’ offense.  He hasn’t been doing enough lately, but the pressure is starting to build for the talented quarterback who forced his way out of Denver in the offseason and just signed an extension with the Bears.  The 49ers pass-defense is pretty weak though, so I think Cutler will be able to do some damage against a 49ers defense who gives up 241 passing yards per game.  Cutler has been sacked 19 already this season, so if the 49ers can get to Cutler often they can limit what he can do.  This should be a close game between two under-performing teams, but I think the 49ers pass defense is too weak and the Bears will win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 31, San Francisco 49ers 24

The San Francisco 49ers (3-4) have lost three in a row but will have a good opportunity at breaking that streak this weekend at home against the Tennessee Titans (1-6).  The Titans are coming off their first win of the season and are a different team when Vince Young is under center.  Young, made his first start of the season last week and he and Chris Johnson led the Titans to their first win.  The 49ers need to be ready for the Titans running game, as Johnson is coming off a 228 yard performance and Young has the athleticism to use his legs and not just his arm.  Alex Smith is doing a decent job at quarterback for the 49ers though, and Titans give up 282 passing yards per game so Smith could have a big game.  He has thrown two picks in the two games he has played in, so he needs to do a better job of not turning the ball over.

The 49ers should try and wear down the Titans with the run.  They give up 112 rushing yards per game and Frank Gore is due for a big game.  He had a solid effort against the Colts last week, getting 91 yards on 13 carries including a 64 yard touchdown run.  This should be a very close match-up and the Titans seem like a different team now that they got their first win and have a new quarterback.  I think they will continue their momentum from last week, with Young and Johnson’s legs leading the way in a close win for the Titans.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Tennessee Titans 28, San Francisco 49ers 24

The San Francisco 49ers (3-2) are on the road against the Houston Texans (3-3) Sunday and are very happy to have their star running back Frank Gore back from an ankle injury.  They lost 45-10 last game against Atlanta and quarterback Shaun Hill was their leading rusher with 53 yards scrambling.  It is nice to see Hill making things happen with his legs, but the 49ers offense needs him to be more of a threat in the passing game.  He has only passed for 898 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions on 56% pass completion.  He will have some extra help in the receiving game now that Michael Crabtree has finally signed and will be making his pro debut in this game.  Crabtree is very talented and has the ability to make an impact right away.  Hopefully Gore’s ankle still doesn’t limit him, because Houston’s poor run defense has been improving each week.  They held Cedric Benson, who was the league rushing leader, to 44 yards last week.

The 49er’s defense can not let Texans’ quarterback Matt Schaub beat them deep.  Schaub has turned this Texans offense into an electric, high scoring threat and running back Steve Slaton has done a decent job getting yards in their running game.  Slaton is very prone to fumbling though, with five fumbles already this season and eight in his two year career.  The 49ers should make an extra effort in stripping the ball from Slaton since he has proven he has a hard time holding on to it. This should be a close game but I think the Texans will win with Matt Schaub and the talented Texans offense, combined with their improving defense.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Francisco 49ers 24, Houston Texans 31

The San Francisco 49ers (3-1) are hosting the Atlanta Falcons (2-1) this week and their strong defense is looking to continue their tough play.  Falcons’ RB Michael Turner is getting 3.5 yards per carry, but the 49ers have been shutting down running backs all year  The Falcons have a talented quarterback in Matt Ryan and since the 49ers have done a great job stopping the run,  Ryan will be throwing the ball a lot.  Ryan has thrown five touchdowns and only one interception, while going for 648 yards on 60/91 attempts (66%).  Mike Singletary has really lit a fire under this 49ers defense though, so it will be interesting to see how they do against Ryan and the Falcons passing offense.

The 49ers offense has been nothing to brag about this year, as they are really missing their star running back Frank Gore.  Quarterback Shuan Hill has been effective though and has done a good job of not throwing interceptions.  He has five touchdowns and only one interception, but only averages 175 passing yards per game.  This will be close and hard fought game, but with the 49ers at home with the better defense I think they will pull out the win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Francisco 49ers 24, Atlanta Falcons 21

The San Francisco 49ers (2-1) should be undefeated, but Brett Favre’s late game miracle for the Vikings last week prevented that from happening.  They are looking to bounce back at home this week against the St. Louis Rams (0-3) and they should not have too much of a problem with them.  Don’t be surprised if the Rams stick around though, as the 49ers are without their best player in running back Frank Gore.

The Rams are missing one of their key players as well.  Their quarterback Marc Bulger injured his throwing shoulder in the first quarter of their loss last week and Kyle Boller will be starting for the Rams this week.  Boller looked good when he first came in last week for the injured Boller, but his rust became evident and he struggled most of the game.  Steven Jackson has been one of the few bright spots for the Rams and if the 49ers are able to stop him then the Rams don’t really have a chance.  Jackson is not only a threat on the ground, but as a receiver too, so the 49ers will have their hands full with Jackson.

The Rams run-defense is not very good, so the 49ers should attack them on the ground even without Frank Gore.  Rookie Glen Coffee will get the bulk of the carries and although his stats are not very impressive, I think he will settle in and be effective behind the 49ers strong offensive line and the Rams weak run-defense.  The 49ers defense should try and pressure Boller, as this will be his first start since 2007 and he will likely make some costly mistakes.  The Rams have a shot if Boller can play well, but the 49ers should win this game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  49ers 27, Rams 17

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

If J.T. O’Sullivan is the real deal the Niners will win more than 6.5 games in 2008, but, I would have to bet against that happening.  The Niners will be more exciting to watch but they just aren’t good enough to win 7 games this season.  Take the under as the Niners won’t be winning too many games in 2008.