Week 13: Davis, 49ers hurdle Rams, 23-13

Last season when the San Francisco 49ers played host to the division-rival St. Louis Rams, both teams left the field in a 24-24 tie. With the 49ers still vying for a playoff spot, Jim Harbaugh's team would make sure their last meeting at Candlestick Park against their long time division foe wouldn't end the same way it did a year ago. Coming into Sunday's meeting with the Rams, 49ers running back Frank Gore has made a habit out of torturing St. Louis throughout his career, having scored 14 touchdowns in 14 games against them. He would add to that mark in the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 15 touchdowns in as many games against them as San Francisco took a 13-0 lead. 

The rest of the day would be a quiet one from Gore, however, as most of his team's damage would come through the air. 49er fans were able to take a sigh of relief last week when quarterback Colin Kaepernick logged his best outing statistically since Week 1. But given the performance was against a Washington defense that ranks among the worst in the league, a similar performance against a defense like St. Louis' would be much more meaningful. And with wide-out Michael Crabtree back on the field to make his long-awaited season debut since recovering from surgery to a torn Achilles tendon some six months ago, Kaepernick had his eyes set on another good game with the arrival of his favorite target. Crabtree, who shook off some early jitters by being called for two penalties on San Francisco's opening-drive, hauled in only two passes on the day but one would be a 60-yarder as he showed off some of the speed his team has missed since his absence. 

But not even the return of Crabtree would be enough to steal the spotlight away from Vernon Davis as the game soon turned into a track meet for the 49ers tight-end. Davis caught 4 passes for 82 yards including Kaepernick's lone touchdown pass on the afternoon as he hurdled his way into the end zone, leaping over a defender for his 10th touchdown reception of the season. Davis who's arguably the most athletically gifted tight-end in the league, appears to have added the hurdle to his arsenal of moves as he hurdled not one, but two St. Louis Rams as if he was running track in the Olympics. Anquan Boldin on the other hand led the team with 9 receptions for 98 yards as Kaepernick logged another stellar performance by throwing for 275 yards on 19 of 28 pass attempts and playing mistake-free football. The Niners defense which kept Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens in check, surrendered two field goals by St. Louis kicker Greg Zuerlein before coach Harbaugh put in his second-team defense which allowed a late touchdown pass from Clemens to Brian Quick with only seconds remaining on the game clock. 

The touchdown would cut the deficit to 10 by making it a 23-13 ballgame but it would be too late as San Francisco came out on top, improving to 8-4 on the year. San Francisco's only mistake in the game would be a fumble by running back Frank Gore who logged just 42 yards as the 49ers forced three St. Louis turnovers including an interception by cornerback Carlos Rogers. Niners kicker Phil Dawson racked up three field goals in the win and has now converted on 16 consecutive tries. 

Week 14 Preview: After consecutive losses to the Panthers and Saints, the 49ers have bounced back with back to back wins and appear to be clicking on all cylinders just in time for their showdown with the Seattle Seahawks whom they plan to settle the score with after being demolished in Seattle earlier this year. Standing at 11-1 with the best record in the NFL, Pete Carroll's Seattle team is also coming off an impressive 34-7 win at home against the New Orleans Saints. With a win on Sunday, Seattle could clinch the division title at Candlestick Park, further upping the stakes and putting that much more heat on the Niners who plan to crash the party and prevent their division-rival from celebrating on San Francisco's home turf. If one thing is certain regarding these two NFC heavyweights, it's that these teams don't like one another which should setup a must-see battle. The 49ers who welcomed back wide-receiver Mario Manningham from injury several weeks ago and Michael Crabtree this past week, will now see the return of rookie wide-out Quinton Patton for the first time since he fractured his foot in Week 4. Though San Francisco's receive-corps appears to finally be healthy and in tact for the first time all season, this might not be the best week for 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick to test his arm given Seattle's tough secondary. The same goes for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson which is why this one will likely be a head-to-head match up between running back's Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch. Where this game lacks in high-flying offense, will likely be made up with plenty of big hits and lots of trash-talking. So be sure to grab your popcorn! 

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