It was a week of distractions – Jim Harbaugh, the return of Alex Smith, did the 49ers make the right choice with Colin Kaepernick? Distractions off the field can often translate to poor play on the field. But not this week. This week the 49ers played as a team and made the plays necessary to win the game.
Phil Dawson gets my game MVP for his five field goals – two of them over 50 yards. The defense was outstanding and Frank Gore once again proved just how integral he is to the offense with over 100 yards rushing. It was not Kaepernick’s sharpest game but he still threw for 201 yards, 1 TD and no INTS and did what he needed to do to win, so I’ll take it. A few game changers include a successful fake punt by the Niners, a truly stellar catch by Brandon Lloyd, and an illegal formation call on the Chiefs that gave the 49ers a much needed first down in the 4th.
Takeaways – solid win; Smith and Kaepernick are both good quarterbacks but the 49ers were right to go with Kap; and who knows if the players don’t like Harbaugh but if they keep winning, no one’s gonna care. Bring on the Rams. Go Niners!!