REPORT CARD
Offense: The 49ers were as methodical and mediocre as ever in the first half. In the second, however, Alex Smith and the gang let loose and became a quick-scoring team that also shoved opponents off the line of scrimmage. Grade: B+
Defense: When the opposition's quarterback passes for 416 yards and runs for another 75 yards, it's usually a bad sign. The 49ers, however, balanced Michael Vick's big day with three turnovers, including the critical one at game's end. Grade: B Special teams: A rare off day for the 49ers special teams as David Akers missed two field goals (one of them blocked) and punter Andy Lee shanked two punts. Coverage units were solid, as always. Grade: C+
Overall: The statistics were grim, but they didn't capture the heart and resilience the 49ers showed in this game. They return to the Bay Area with two come-from behind road wins, and they sit alone atop the NFC West. Grade: A
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Read more articles by Matthew Barrows
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.