The 49ers have won two games in a row (stunning wins over the Eagles and Bengals on the road), while the Buccaneers have won three games in a row.  Something has to give this Sunday in San Francisco.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to play power football by running the ball and throwing it to the TE.  Frank Gore is going to have a very heavy workload for the Niners as he will be challenging the very young front seven of the Bucs.  The key will be if the O-Line can handle rookie MLB Mason Foster.  If they are successful with blocking Foster, then Gore is in line for a big game this Sunday.  The Bucs have had injury trouble at safety, so look for Alex Smith to be targeting TE Vernon Davis an awful lot this Sunday.  That is only if the Niners can keep the Bucs away from Alex Smith (he has been already sacked 14 times so far this year).  It would be nice if Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan would step up in this game.

When the Bucs have the ball:  The Buccaneers like to run the ball with power back LeGarrette Blount.  ILBs NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis and the rest of the front seven should be able to handle stopping Blount.  The Niners are only giving up 74.0 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The Niners are going to need to blitz more than usual, because if Josh Freeman has time to throw the ball, he’s going to make the secondary pay.

PREDICTION:  BUCCANEERS 20, 49ERS 17

This is going to be a very interesting game as the Eagles are beat up right now.  The 49ers will likely play things close to the vest once again in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  Even with Frank Gore (ankle injury) gimpy, the Niners are going to try to run the ball a lot in this game against an Eagles’ D that is allowing 131.3 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  If Gore can’t go or is limited, Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon will see increased workloads.  Alex Smith has been sacked 11 times so far this year while the Eagles already have 12 sacks this year, which means that he is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  That means that TEs Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker are going to get a lot of throws their way.  It would be nice to see a WR step up for the 49ers, but I don’t see that happening this weekend against the Eagles.

When the Eagles have the ball:  Michael Vick is gimpy with a badly bruised right hand, but it looks like he’s going to try to play.  The Eagles are rushing for 182.0 yards per game (5.4 ypc), while the Niners are only allowing 62.7 yards per game (2.9 ypc) so something has to give.  Inside linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman are heat seeking missiles and they are going to be homing in on Lesean McCoy and Michael Vick this Sunday.  McCoy is one of the most underrated RBs in the NFL as he has already rushed for 345 yards (6.1 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  If the 49ers’ DEs and OLBs can contain Vick in the pocket, they could pull the upset in this game.  The 49ers need to give safety help to the corners on Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 20, 49ERS 17

The San Francisco 49ers have been very conservative on offense and I think it’s because they are attempting to shorten the game by controlling the clock.  That is likely to happen again this Sunday against the Bengals in Cincinnati.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to come out trying to run the ball with Frank Gore against a Bengals’ run defense that is allowing 107.0 yards rushing per game but only 3.5 yards per carry.  That means that Gore is likely going to have to fight for every yard he gets in this game.  The Niners don’t have a lot of talent at WR, but Alex Smith is going to have to take some shots down the field or the Bengals are just going to double cover TE Vernon Davis the whole game.  That means that Josh Morgan, Ted Ginn, Michael Crabtree or Kyle Williams is going to have to step up.  The Niners need to establish a running game this week to slow the Bengals’ pass rush while allowing Alex Smith to throw some deeper passes off play action.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals might just come out throwing the ball against the Niners, so they better be ready for it.  Rookie QB Andy Dalton has a 105.7 QB Rating through his first two NFL games and that is outstanding.  He is moving the ball around to a lot of receivers, but Jerome Simpson (8 rec, 180 yards) and rookie A.J. Green (11 rec, 165 yards, 2 TDs) are true gamebreakers.  The Niners are going to have to get to Dalton, because the corners have not played well so far this year.  The front seven are going to have to deal with Cedric Benson (180 yards rushing, 4.4 ypc and 1 TD run), but they should be up to the challenge as opposing teams are only rushing for 54.0 yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, 49ERS 13

The 49ers have pretty solid momentum going into this game.  The defense and special teams were awesome  for the Niners last weekend!  If the offense can pick up the pace, they might just be a surprise team in the NFL.  A lot will be found out about the Niners this weekend as the Cowboys are likely a much better team than the Seahawks are.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers hope that they will be able to run the ball better this weekend.  The Cowboys only gave up 45 yards rushing on 16 carries (2.8 ypc) against the Jets last week, so Frank Gore will likely have to fight for every yard he gets.  This is going to be a week that the Niners need Alex Smith to step up.  The Cowboys have a lot of injuries at cornerback, so Smith needs to get the ball down the field to Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan.  The O-Line will have to give Smith time to throw the ball to take shots down the field as the Cowboys had 4 sacks last week against the Jets.  OLB DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys deserves special attention from the Niners.  TE Vernon Davis is also in line to have a big game as the Cowboys’ safeties (Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh) scare no one.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The front seven will have to stop Felix Jones without a lot of help from the secondary, who are going to have their hands full with the TEs and WRs of the Cowboys.  Patrick Willis and the rest of the front seven should be able to handle Jones while also providing a solid pass rush.  The Niners had 5 sacks last week, and Tony Romo gets antsy in the pocket when he feels heat.  TE Jason Witten is Romo’s favorite receiver, so safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner are going to be busy.  CBs Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown are going to have to step up to deal with WRs Dez Bryant and Miles Austin.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, 49ERS 24

The San Francisco 49ers will officially start the Jim Harbaugh era tomorrow afternoon against the Seahawks.  The Niners and Seahawks blew each other out at home last year.  The Niners will try to keep that going and here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners are going to feed Frank Gore the rock all day long and force the Seahawks to stop it.  They will also give rookie RB Kendall Hunter some work in this game when Gore needs a rest.  TE Vernon Davis gave the Seahawks fits last year as he caught 13 passes for 143 yards (11.0 avg) with a TD grab against them.  Look for Alex Smith to look Davis’ way quite often in this game.  Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn don’t have the stones to go over the middle of the field, so Josh Morgan could get more work than usual in this game.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The front seven should be able to stop Marshawn Lynch and force the Seahawks to throw the ball more than they want to.  If DEs Justin Smith and Ray McDonald get after Tarvaris Jackson, he could be forced into making some game altering mistakes.  Safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner better be ready to deal with Zach Miller because Jackson is going to be looking his way quite a bit tomorrow.  The Seahawks don’t have much in the way of big time WRs with Sidney Rice likely out of action.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, SEAHAWKS 13

The 49ers and Cardinals are just playing for pride and draft position tomorrow.  The Niners have lost two games in a row and they have a new head coach for tomorrow in Jim Tomsula.  Just five weeks ago, the Niners pounded the Cardinals 27-6 in Arizona.  The Cardinals have won 2 out of their last three games so they have to be feeling good about themselves right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers rushed for 261 yards in the first meeting between these two teams.  I look for the Niners to line up and try to push the Cardinals’ D-Line backwards with Brian Westbrook & Anthony Dixon having a heavy workload.  Alex Smith will be starting at QB and that means the Niners will likely be somewhat balanced on offense.  Smith will likely be aiming for Vernon Davis, Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree a lot in this game against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 226.1 yards passing per game.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are likely going to try to throw the ball a lot against the 49ers who are allowing 233.1 yards passing per game so far this year.  The Niners will likely double Larry Fitzgerald the whole game forcing rookie QB John Skelton to try to beat the Niners throwing to someone else.  The Niners will be without Patrick Willis in this game so the Cardinals would be smart to give the ball to Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells alot but that isn’t going to likely happen.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 24, CARDINALS 10

The NFC West sucks so bad this year that this is a big game for both teams.  The Rams hold a 1 game lead on the Niners in the NFC West setting up a battle of attrition this Sunday in St. Louis.  The 49ers are switching back to Troy Smith at QB for this game.  The 49ers are only 1-6 on the road tis year while the Rams are a solid 4-3 at home.  If the Rams win out they will win the NFC West.  The Niners won the first meeting 23-20 between these teams in San Francisco.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Rams are giving up 113.1 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so the Niners would be smart to come out running the ball with Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon.  Troy Smith is also a solid runner so he might take off a few times this Sunday.  Smith likes getting the ball to his TEs so look for Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker to get a lot of looks in this game as the Rams are giving up 224.3 yards passing per game so far this year.  If Smith has time to throw the ball (the Rams have 39 sacks this year) then he might take some shots down the field to Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree.

When the Rams have the ball:  Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes and the D-Line are going to have to take care of Stephen Jackson so look for some high impact collisions.  The Niners must get a good pass rush on Sam Bradford or he will likely pick the secondary apart.  The Niners are giving up 230.1 yards passing per game so far this year and opposing QBs have a QB Rating of 92.2 against them so far.  Bradford doesn’t really have a favorite receiver which makes him hard to defend because you can’t really double anyone.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 23, 49ERS 20

The 49ers dominated the Seahawks last weekend (40-21) to keep themselves alive in the NFC West but this is a “must win game” for both teams.  That is because the Chargers pounded the Chiefs 31-0 last week, which has them one game behind the Chiefs in the NFC West.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game tonight:

When the 49ers have the ball:  I think the Niners will come out running the football a bit with Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon early in the game.  If it doesn’t work though I think they will shift gears and go to the air.  TEs Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker have been the go-to receivers for the Niners as of late and I think Alex Smith will be looking their way a lot in this game.  The Chargers have a good pass rush so I see Smith also looking for Westbrook a lot of the backfield in this game.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Niners are going to have to go all out to put pressure on Philip Rivers because if he has time to throw the ball he’s going to likely carve up the secondary.  It looks like Antonio Gates will miss this game, but Rivers has more than enough guys to target to keep the offense purring.  The front seven will be in charge of dealing with Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles and they will have their hands full when the Chargers decide to run the ball.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, 49ERS 17

The 49ers are 4-3 in their last 7 games and believe it or not they are still in the hunt for the NFC West crown.  The Seahawks won last week against the Panthers but they looked pretty bad the previous two weeks in losses to the Chiefs & Saints.  The Seahawks thumped the Niners 31-6 in the season opener in Seattle.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners are likely going to come out throwing the ball with Alex Smith back as the starting QB.  The Seahawks are giving up 268.1 yards passing per game so look for Smith to be taking a lot of shots down the field to Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and maybe even Ted Ginn.  The Seahawks are also giving up 121.3 yards passing per game and 4.2 yards per carry so far this year, so look for Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon to get their fair share of carries this weekend.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks don’t have much of a running game so they are going to come out throwing the ball.   Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite target, WR Mike Williams, is likely going to be out for this game.  That means that Hasselbeck is going to be moving the ball around to a bunch of different WRs on Sunday.  The Seahawks will still try to run the ball a little bit with Justin Forsett & Marshawn Lynch but that shouldn’t scare the Niners much.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, SEAHAWKS 20

The 49ers have won 3 out of their last four games but the Packers have won 4 of their last five games so both teams come into this game hot.  The 49ers are going to have to play an almost perfect game to beat the Packers at Lambeau Field this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers might not have Frank Gore but that isn’t going to change what they want to do this Sunday.  The Niners are going to feed the ball to Brian Westbrook & Anthony Dixon against a Packers’ D that is allowing 112.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Packers have a relentless pass rush (they have 31 sacks already this year) so Troy Smith is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  That means most of the passes this weekend are likely going to the backs in the flats or the TEs.

When the Packers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to have to blitz a lot in this game because if Aaron Rodgers has time to throw the ball he’s going to pick apart the Niners’ secondary.  The 49ers are giving up 218.5 yards passing per game and with that in mind look for Rodgers to be looking deep to Greg Jennings.  James Jones & Jordy Nelson do the dirty work on the short passes.  The Packers running game is just for show so the front seven should be able to handle Brandon Jackson.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, 49ERS 13