Now it's the Niners' turn to be the 3-point road underdog in what is sure to be a hard-fought division game against the Rams. But none of the Nattering Nabobs are buying it. Peter King, Pete Prisco, practically everyone at ESPN, and 3/4 of the Inside the NFL crew think we're headed for a fall.
I understand the skepticism about the Niners based on their offensive performance from Monday. I'm also not 100% convinced their defense is as ferocious as we think. A couple more weeks of that level of play against better competition would help me get there.
But has no one looked at the injury report? 3/5 of their OL and starting CB Tye Hill are out. Their big free agent pickup, Drew Bennett, is coming back from a thigh injury. The Niners miraculously came out of last week's slugfest with no injuries of consequence. And what on Earth is all this talk about the Rams' "arsenal of weapons". I'm sorry but Isaac Bruce looks like he's pushing 50, Torry Holt is also banged up, and Steven Jackson had a very rough opening. Even though that trio can go off at any time, this is no longer the Greatest Show on Turf. The story may be different if the Lambs were fully healthy but I think the Niners are going to be able to dictate play on both sides of the ball.
Predictions:
*Frank Gore picks up where he left off last year and goes for 120 yards and a pair of scores.
*Alex Smith passes for 180 a score and and INT ( I'm not sure this cat is EVER going to be a 300+ yard passer. At least he won't be until he stops dancing while he throws or brainwashes himself into thinking every drive has to take under 3 minutes)
*The Disease has 4 catches for 60 yards - and wipes each one out with a 15-yard celebration penalty after the play.
*Defense pressures Bulger but has trouble actually bringing him down. Does force him into throwing a pair of INTs to go with his TD and 220 yards.
*Steven Jackson comes closer to last year's form but only has 75 yards on 25 carries.
RESULT - NINERS 24, LAMBS 10
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1 comment:
We always seem to pull out the stops against the lambs, so I like the prediction.
Things to look for:
*gore coming back to his old self. As dark as a day as he has had, I think it will only give him more resolve.And by "Resolve", I mean broken d-line ribs.
*last week, battle looked like the only one out there thinking victory was achievable. Every game, the young man seems to become more and more of a play-maker. I hope to see this contine, and perhaps as a bonus lelie will recall the zenith of his career at UH and be inspired to make a difference at the pro level for once.
*at least one trick play. This is my favorite lamb game tradition. Ok, only lamb game tradition. And I like it. Here's to hoping for the infamous smith-battle-wr sequence.
Hayes
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