Once again, things got ugly quick for the 49ers, as the San Francisco defense looked as if it was still on it's BYE week the team had in week 6. San Francisco fell behind early and went into the half with a 21 point deficit. Niners running back Frank Gore made his return as he started his first game since getting injured on the first drive in week 3 when the team made a visit to Minnesota. However, Gore had almost no effect as the Niners run game was shut down by Mario Williams & company.
The second half told a different story, as coach Singletary decided to let back up quarterback Alex Smith start the remainder of the game in spot of Shaun Hill. Before Smith took the field I began to worry, then again things couldn't have gotten any worse than they already were, trailing 21-0. Smith, a former number 1 overall pick by the Niners in the 2005 NFL draft has played well under expectations and nowhere near his college career. But as soon as he took over for Hill, the 49er offense began to show a late form of life. Smith went on to throw for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns on 15 for 22 passing, compared to Hill's 45 yards on 6 for 11. Smith's 3 td's all caught by tight end Vernon Davis. Although the Niners were able to rally late in the game, it was still not enough as the Texans D intercepted a 4th and 10 pass by Smith with 30 second remaining ending the possible comeback.
Smith's turnaround performance caught the attention of coach Singletary as he later named Alex Smith the starter for next week's game against the Indianapolis Colts. I agree with the move, given the game Smith had but I'm not convinced he can have back-to-back performances like that. But only time will tell. Alex Smith wasn't the only Niner making headlines, as 1st round draft pick Michael Crabtree finally made his long anticipated NFL debut, leading all 49er wideouts in receptions with 5, for a total of 56 yards. It might not of been the most memorable debut but he showed that he's got great hands as he made a few difficult catches. He also played a lot more than I had expected, so it'll be interesting to see how well he does the rest of the season.
On to week 8, where once again the 49ers will have their work cut out for them, this time against former MVP and SuperBowl champion Peyton Manning & the Colts. *Gulp!*
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