49ers take away a key divisional win

Football Betting Lines

09/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams was a classic example of give and take. As in the 49ers offense giveth and the 49ers defense taketh away.

San Francisco managed just 186 yards of offense and fumbled the ball away twice. Luckily, the defense managed to force and recover three fumbles of its own to help the 49ers pull out a 17-16 win.

Two of those St. Louis turnovers were forced on the Rams' first two possessions of the second half. The first came when San Francisco's Bryant Young sacked Marc Bulger, forcing the ball loose just shy of midfield.

On their next drive, the Rams seemed about to pad their 13-7 lead, as Bulger hit Torry Holt across the middle of the field. Holt dashed across San Francisco's 10-yard line before Nate Clements stripped him from behind. The ball rolled out of bounds in the end zone, giving the Niners the ball. San Francisco scored a touchdown on the resulting drive to go in front.

"They (the Rams) made a good catch, throw and catch," said Clements. "It's something I've been working on in practice, always run to the ball because you never know. I kept running and never gave up on the play and I saw the ball and punched it out."

However, a turnover of their own nearly cost the 49ers later on, as quarterback Alex Smith was sacked and fumbled early in the fourth quarter. That led to a Rams' field goal and a two-point Niners' deficit.

Late in the game, though, the Rams' Dante Hall, usually so dangerous when returning kicks, muffed a punt that San Francisco's Marcus Hudson recovered at the Rams' 26. Joe Nedney then booted a go-ahead 40-yard field goal with 3:28 left.

The San Francisco defense took over from there by forcing a four-and-out, including a stop on 4th-and-7, before standing tall on what turned out to be the Rams' final possession of the game. Young again got to Bulger, setting up a 3rd-and-17 for St. Louis in the waning moments. After a 14-yard pass play, the 49ers held their breath as the Rams' Jeff Wilkins left a 56-yard field goal try short.

The victory bolstered the confidence of the 49ers revamped defense.

"We knew we were going to win the game, we had that mentality," said Clements, one of the new additions. "The last two-minute drive, that's the situation we love and we knew we were going to pull the game out. It wasn't a sense of urgency where everybody was panicking, we just knew we were going to win if we just go out there and play our defense."

San Francisco is 2-0 for the first time since 1998 and used a lot of pressure on the quarterback to get there. The team posted six sacks against the Rams, led by Young's two.

"It's always important, any game you play in, to apply pressure," Young said. "Even if you don't get the sack, making (Bulger) throw when he's not wanting to throw, that was big. We were able to get some pressure off the edges through our four man (rushes) and through our zone pressures as well."

HEAVY HEART

Normally, 49ers running back Frank Gore runs with a punishing shoulder to compliment breakaway speed. On Sunday, though, the Pro Bowl back ran with a heavy heart.

Gore turned in a game-deciding performance in the win over the Rams this past weekend, just days after his mother Liz passed away after battling a lengthy illness.

"When I got up this morning, it was tough getting up," Gore said. "Every time that it is game time, all I know is that stadium. Me and my mom would talk on the way to the stadium. This morning, I just kept looking at my phone. She didn't call. It's tough, you know. I shed a few tears and it was tough to get up, but I decided to play and I had to do my best. "

Despite the personal loss, Gore rushed for 81 yards and a pair of scores, pointing towards the sky in tribute after each touchdown.

Gore said he knew his mother was watching over him, especially on his big fourth-down play in the third quarter that resulted in a score. Facing a 4th- and-1 with under three minutes left in the stanza, Gore took a handoff and busted through the line for what ended as a 43-yard touchdown run that gave San Francisco a 14-13 edge.

"They (the Rams) had nine in the box. We had eight," Gore said of the run. "Everybody on our side of the ball got a hat on them and I got through. They had a hand on my leg and I kept pumping and got down to the secondary. I made a move on the safety and that was it. When I crossed the goal line, she had to be with me on that one."

Gore showed immense commitment to his team by playing so soon after the passing of his mother, an attribute that wasn't lost on Smith, who said he knew how close the running back was to his mom.

"He is so dedicated to this team and how much loves being a part of this team and helping this team win," Smith said. "He had the two touchdowns and the big run on fourth down. I know he was excited and I was happy for him."

YOUNG AGAIN

The 49ers are 2-0 for the first time since 1998, which was also the last full season in which Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young played with the club. Young suffered yet another concussion the following year and retired at the end of the 1999 season.

San Francisco finished the 1998 season 12-4 and bested the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card game before falling to the Falcons the following week. The Niners have made the postseason just twice since, including their last visit in 2002.

WHO IS HOT

Patrick Willis and Manny Lawson are forming an explosive linebacker duo. Willis, San Francisco's first-round pick in this past draft, is adapting quickly to the NFL and has 19 tackles (14 solo) through two games from the inside spot.

Lawson, a first-round pick in 2006, has added pressure from the outside, posting 12 total tackles and a sack so far.

WHO IS NOT

Smith is not off to the start he would have hoped. He has thrown for only 252 yards -- 126 in each of the first two games -- and has yet to find the end zone, although he hasn't been intercepted yet either.

Smith's current QB rating is 69.1.

"I know we can be a lot better. I know it," Smith said after the win over the Rams. "I think everyone in there knows it. That is the scary thing, 2-0 and we have a long way to go for improvement. We have a lot of games in front of us and we need to keep improving."

NEXT UP: ONE FOR THE THUMB

A battle between a pair of five-time Super Bowl champs is on the horizon for the 49ers, who travel to Pittsburgh to take on the 2-0 Steelers on Sunday.

San Francisco, which last won a NFL title in 1994, is 10-8 all-time against the Steelers, having won four of the last five matchups. The 49ers recorded a 30-14 win at home in their most recent meeting with Pittsburgh, which occurred in 2003.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.