San Francisco 49ers: Grading the Week 17 Win

What a fantastic way to start the New Year and finish the season! The Niners put an exclamation point on an amazing regular season by beating the Rams, 34-27. 

Because it's a new year, we should all be making resolutions. So even though the 49ers pulled out a win and pretty much dominated game play until the last five minutes, there is some work still to be done. 

The defense looked susceptible against Kellen Clemens of all quarterbacks, and allowing St. Louis to even sneak back into the game that far is pretty ridiculous.

But San Francisco still secured the all-important two seed for the playoffs and finished with a stellar 13-3 record in Jim Harbaugh's first season at the helm.

Here is my final report card for the 2011 season, complete with a New Year's resolution for each unit.

Thanks for reading!

Passing Game: A

This was quite a performance by Alex Smith and his very thin receiving corps. He went 21-of-31 for 219 yards and a touchdown in another turnover-free game.

Smith really utilized Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree tonight. The two of them combined for 17 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns. 

The passing game's resolution for 2012 should be to improve the deep game. Smith hit Davis on a deep pass on a perfectly-thrown ball, but he also missed a couple chances. It's not even completely necessary with the type of offense we run, but it would add another element to the offense.

Of course, it would help if they went out and got another deep threat to add to the roster. I heard T.O. is looking for a job...

Running Game: A

Frank Gore got a nice little rest in Sunday's game. I love that Harbaugh was OK with sitting him against the Rams, because we all know he needs some time to heal from various ailments. 

And it paid off too. Kendall Hunter stepped up big and Anthony Dixon pounded a decisive score of his own in. The backups really made an impact today, rushing for almost 100 combined yards. Also, Smith matched Clemens by scrambling for a nice-looking touchdown early in the game.

The running game's resolution needs to be the same as most of the world's: to hit the gym! Not literally, since most football players are freakishly athletic. But, Gore is constantly hurting from some random injury, and without him, the 49erS offense is in trouble.

Luckily, this unit's performance against St. Louis allows a full two weeks for those guys to get rested.

Front 7: A-

I'm so disappointed that Aldon Smith did not get the rookie sack record. I'm not disappointed in him at all; he's still a very legit Defensive Rookie of the Year contender. But it just would have been a really cool accomplishment. 

That being said, the front seven played great against the Rams. They allowed 111 total rushing yards, including an average of nearly five yards per carry from Steven Jackson, but they sacked Clemens three times and played solid ball in general.

The front seven's resolution is simple: just get better. It's hard to do any better than they have in 2011, but you can never have too much pressure on the quarterback. That's definitely something that Justin Smith, Ahmad Brooks and others can continue to work on. 

By the way, did anyone else hear the commentators say that Isaac Sopoaga can bench 315 pounds 43 times? First of all, I couldn't stop staring at his biceps after that, but how does he justify not having double digit sacks every season with that type of brute strength?

Secondary: B

The score was deceptive. San Francisco's secondary actually didn't play so bad. Brandon Lloyd's touchdown catch was the biggest black eye on their record on Sunday, but it was mostly just bad timing on a jump by Donte Whitner.

They still could have played better, though. Tarell Brown made two great interceptions, but also had a costly pass interference penalty during the Rams' comeback. The two Pro Bowlers, Dashon Goldson and Carlos Rogers, looked good in coverage. 

A New Year's resolution for this unit is to anticipate better. They are all very opportunistic and can pick the ball with the best of them. And everyone, especially Goldson, can tackle like nobody's business. But where they get burned is in zone coverage when they sit back and wait until they know where the ball is thrown to jump.

Against teams like New Orleans and Green Bay, that will be the death of us.

Special Teams: A

A missed field goal and a failed defense against an onside kick, and this unit still gets an A? Well, yes. Did you see that awesome fake field goal?

That play was expertly executed, although I must wonder what the Rams personnel were thinking. If Crabtree is split out wide, there's a darn good chance the ball is going to him, regardless of the formation. But props to David Akers for the pass and the coaches for the gutsy call.

Their resolution should be to try some new formations on returns. Explosive returns after Week one have been very few and far between. But with the coverage team, we have and the athletic guys that can bring it back to the house on any given kick. 

Also, while we're on the subject, a big high five for Andy Lee. How is this guy not widely considered the best punter in the NFL? The punt that was dropped at the five, immediately preceding the punt that was dropped at the one, was pure magic.

Coaching: A-

The only reason I'm giving the minus is because of the physical damage to my heart having to watch that near comeback when the game was all but sewn up with five minutes left.

And we all know by now that anytime something bad happens like that, I blame it on the coaches. But really, what more can you say about this staff? A No. 2 seed in their first season together to go along with a 13-3 record.

Their resolution should be to continue opening up the playbook. It was nice to see them doing that with the passing game a little bit against the Rams. But they need to run a little less obvious running plays and find a way to get guys like Crabtree and Davis open on routes more often, especially with the limited amount of healthy receivers on the roster. 

I don't think Harbaugh was necessarily happy about how the fourth quarter went on Sunday, but one bad 15 minutes doesn't ruin an entirely well-coached game.

Overall: A-

Let's just forget that awful five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter happened and revel in the glory that was the rest of that win. 

The 49ers once again looked like a Super Bowl contender and did everything they could on offense without receiving weapons. I think if they played this well against the Packers or Saints in the playoffs, it would be a very close game. 

Alex Smith is playing at a high level, and as long as we can keep the running game going and find a way to get to opposing quarterbacks, we are going to make some noise in two weeks against either New Orleans or Detroit.

It's been a fun ride, a great season for 49er fans. Thanks for sticking with me this season, and here's to a playoff run for the ages!