49ers find new life under Smith?

After their victory over the St. Louis Rams this past Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers find themselves back in playoff contention as they trail division leader Seattle Seahawks by 2 games. A few weeks ago, it did not look good for the 49ers as they started the season 0-5, but have won 3 of their last 4 and two in a row with Troy Smith starting at quarterback. Let’s take a closer look at the 49ers and see if they have what it takes to make a playoff push.

Head Coach Mike Singletary has said that QB Troy Smith will remain the starting quarterback because of his excellent play the past two games. Smith is 2-0 as a starter this season and has yet to turn the ball over this season. Don’t forget, Smith was a winner at Ohio State and a former Heisman Trophy winner as well. Smith did not get much playing time his first four years in the league, but it gave him plenty of time to learn and mature as a backup and now is taking advantage of being the starter. The 49ers are very talented on the offensive side of the ball with WR Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis being the key standouts. Crabtree and Davis will make Smith’s job easier with their experience as the season progresses forward.

The defense for the 49ers is not that bad either. Anchored by linebacker Patrick Willis, the 49ers defense gives up just over 100 yards on the ground which is good enough for 10th in the NFL. The defense also does a great job keeping their team in the game as for 4 out of their 6 losses this season has come by 3 points or less. The offense was not able to push across enough points to steal a couple victories, but hopefully things have changed now with Troy Smith at quarterback.

I believe it is still possible that the 49ers can claim the NFC West title as their schedule is somewhat favorable and the other teams in the division are not that strong. The 49ers have 4 games left in division, two against the Cardinals, one with the Rams, and one versus the Seahawks. If the 49ers take care of business within the division and win a couple games out of conference, do not be surprised if they still atop the NFC West at the end of the season.