Giants vs. 49ers: QB Alex Smith Will Fall Back to Earth Against New York

If any of you were watching the San Francisco 49ers last weekend, you must have been wondering who that was playing quarterback. In no way was that Alex Smith throwing for nearly 300 yards while completing three touchdowns with zero interceptions, right? And a rushing touchdown? No way.

Well, if you were in any doubt, one look at the action would show that it was indeed No. 11 under center, and he was leading his team in elite quarterback fashion against the dominant New Orleans Saints.

If you have followed his career, you know that this isn't the type of play that is typical of Smith.

So when they play the New York Giants this weekend, you can expect to see the same QB that we have seen all season long.

After the Giants shut down quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in last week's divisional rounds, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the former Utah Ute doesn't light things up once again.

It isn't like this was typical of the 49ers QB. While Smith has done a great job this season in handling the team's offensive possessions, his output last Saturday just isn't what we have come to expect of the former No. 1 pick.

After starting all 16 games this season, Smith had nine games with under 200 yards, three of which resulted in the team's only losses on the entire year.

While a typical Smith performance doesn't mean the team will lose against the Giants, nobody should be expecting Smith to go off again like he did against the Saints.

The G-Men are holding opposing offenses to just 255.1 yards, but have been even more dominant as of late.

In their Week 16 matchup against the New York Jets, they held quarterback Mark Sanchez to 258 yards with just one touchdown and two interceptions. They continued to dominate into the playoffs, keeping the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan to just 199 yards with zero touchdowns or picks.

And then there is what they did to Rodgers and the Packers. They held arguably the best quarterback in the league right now to just 264 yards with two touchdowns, while forcing him to turn it over once. While that isn't a terrible line, anyone who watched that game could tell you that the Packers offense was being held down.

Why would things be any different against a quarterback who is, in all honesty, a lot less capable?

Smith's four-touchdown performance was just above and beyond what he can do, and what is expected of him. In only five games this regular season, he eclipsed two touchdown passes. In their Week 5 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he went for a season-high three TDs.

The 49ers have been playing this type of football all season long, so it isn't like a typical Smith performance will hurt them. They went 13-3 for a reason.

Just don't be surprised to see the real Smith this Sunday.