Steelers Pour It On Late And Blowout The Niners 37-16

The 49ers stayed competitive for three quarters, trailing 14-6 at the half and 17-9 through three quarters, but the Steelers poured it on in the final period in a 37-16 rout. About the only success Alex Smith could mount against the Steelers was with passes to tight end Vernon Davis, who complained recently about his limited involvement in the offense. Davis had four receptions for 69 yards. Smith was able to find him a couple of times when the Steelers were in a zone defense in which one of the inside linebackers trailed Davis in coverage. Frank Gore gained only 12 yards on his first four carries. After the corrections were made, he had only 27 yards on 10 carries the rest of the game. The 49ers finished with just 289 total yards. While he is apparently not seriously injured, Gore is frustrated after being held to fewer than 100 yards for the third consecutive game. He ran for 1,695 yards in 2006, with nine 100-yard games.

The Niners had won their last three road games, and had a chance early to grab early momentum. Smith quickly drove them to a first down at the Steelers 14 on their opening possession, but Gore was stopped for no gain and Smith threw two incompletions. That forced Joe Nedney's first of three field goals, a 32-yarder. Why do we have a huge Joe Nedney Pic posted here? Just in case you wanted to print off a shot of the 49ers most potent offensive weapon so far this year! O.k., a little venting there. Smith, (17-of-35, 209 yards) had plenty of chances to generate some scoring, but he couldn't get them into the end zone until hitting Taylor Jacobs for a 21-yard touchdown after Pittsburgh opened a 30-9 lead. Too little, too late. Smith also threw his first interception, which Bryant McFadden returned 50 yards for a late touchdown.

This was a "show me somethin'" game for the Niners and they didn't... Look for more analysis Monday...for now, just trying to digest the frustration after this one. Look for my new opinion article on the previous day's game starting Monday called "The View From The Cheap Seats".