No one is running on the 49ers as opposing teams are only averaging 62.7 yards rushing per game and 2.9 yards per carry so far this year!  A big part of the reason for that is the play of the inside linebackers.  23-year old NaVorro Bowman and 26-year old Patrick Willis have been dominating this year.  Bowman has played in all 3 games for the Niners so far this year and he has 30 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Willis has played in all 3 games this year for the Niners too, and he has 22 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  Willis & Bowman control the middle of the field, forcing teams to try to attack the edges of the defense.

The 49ers have been very conservative offensively so far this year, but Smith has been very efficient.  Smith has played in both of the games for the 49ers so far this year and he has completed 31 of 44 passes (70.5%) for 303 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (95.2 QB Rating).  Smith has also carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards (4.3 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  At some point the 49ers are going to need to start being more aggressive with the passing game and they expect Smith to step up when that time comes.

The 49ers have placed 37-year old kicker Joe Nedney on Injured Reserve with a knee injury, ending his season.  Nedney played in 9 games for the Niners this year and he connected on 11 of 13 field goals and 17 of 17 extra points good for 50 points.  But with the way 31-year old Jeff Reed is kicking the ball, Nedney may have played his last game for the 49ers.  Reed has played in 3 games for the Niners and he is 7 of 7 on field goals and 6 of 6 on extra points good for 27 points.

23-year old rookie RB Anthony Dixon is starting to step up for the Niners.  With Frank Gore out for the season and Brian Westbrook a little long in tooth, the Niners need Dixon to finish the season strong.  He was a sixth round pick (#173 overall) out of Mississippi State last April.  He had a great pre-season but when the regular season started he found himself #3 on the depth chart.  Dixon has played in 13 games for the 49ers so far this year and he has carried the ball 47 times for 165 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  Dixon has also caught 3 passes for 7 yards (2.3 ypc) so far this year.

33-year old linebacker Takeo Spikes has really been solid the last few games for the Niners.  In Spikes last three games, he has 32 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 12 games for the 49ers so far this year and he has 82 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 6 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.  The 49ers have become really hard to run against due to Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis at inside linebacker.

When the 49ers started this season 0-5 you could see the heat being turned up on 52-year old head coach Mike Singletary.  But with the 49ers winning 3 of the last 4 games, Singletary has the Niners only 2 games behind the Seahawks in the NFC West.  The 49ers are now 16-18 (47.1%) in parts of three years under Singletary. 

26-year old Troy Smith looked pretty darn good running the offense in London last week.  He completed 12 of 19 passes (63.2%) for 196 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (115.2 QB Rating).  Smith also carried the ball 4 times for 2 yards (0.5 ypc) with a TD run last week.  Alex Smith wasn’t playing too well before he got hurt as the 49ers were 1-6 in his starts this year.  With Head Coach Mike Singletary now suddenly on the hot seat, he has to go with whichever QB he thinks gives his team the best chance to win.  With that in mind I think Troy Smith can keep the starting job if he continues to play well.

30-year old cornerback Nate Clements is playing solid football for the Niners this year.  He has played in 6 games for the 49ers this year and he has 29 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble.  Clements has now played in 44 games in his 4 years with the 49ers and he has 219 tackles, 34 passes defensed, 1 sack, 5 forced fumbles and 9 interceptions.  The 49ers need Clements to keep up the good work because the Niners have not been scoring a lot of points this year.

Sure, Frank Gore had a rough time against the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener but he rebounded big time against the Saints last Monday Night.  Gore has carried the ball 37 times for 150 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this season.  He has also caught 13 passes for 101 yards (7.8 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.  That means the Niners have placed the ball in Frank Gore’s hands 53 times out of 122 offensive plays (43.4%).  The Niners have to make sure they don’t overwork Gore because they need him all year long if they are going to rebound from their rough start to the 2010 season.

The 49ers really like their QB situation right now.  25-year old Alex Smith finally stepped up and showed what he could do in 2009.  He played in 11 games for the Niners this season and he completed 225 of 372 passes (60.5%) for 2,350 yards with 18 TD passes and 12 INTs (81.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 24 times for 51 yards (2.1 ypc) this year.  Smith has now played in 43 games in his career with the 49ers and he has completed 660 of 1,172 passes (56.3%) for 7,029 yards with 37 TD passes and 43 INTs (69.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 111 times for 390 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career so far.  The 49ers hope that Smith will keep up the good work in 2010.

29-year old Shaun Hill started 2009 as the starting QB for the Niners before getting benched for Smith.  Hill played in 6 games for the Niners this season and he completed 87 of 155 passes (56.1%) for 943 yards with 5 TD passes and 2 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 8 times for 70 yards (8.8 ypc) this year.  Hill has now played in 19 games in his NFL career and he has completed 322 of 522 passes (61.7%) for 3,490 yards with 23 TD passes and 11 INTs (87.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 46 times for 197 yards (4.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  The Niners like having Hill around as the back-up because of his experience.