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

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

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