Alex Smith: Now or Never? His Top 3 Performances with San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers will play their first preseason game on Friday night against the Saints.

For quarterback Alex Smith it is going to be the first of at least 21 games that will decide the future of the former No.1 overall draft pick.

The general assumption in San Francisco and around the league is that if Smith does not get the job done this season he will be done.

As a faithful and lifelong 49ers fan, I still have hope that the University of Utah graduate will play an outstanding season and secure his NFL future. 

I decided to create a slideshow of Smith’s three best performances as the 49ers' QB.

3. September 20, 2010: Saints 25, 49ers 22

After a devastating start that included a mishandled snap and resulted in a safety, many fans thought the game is already over before it began, especially with the defending Super Bowl champion as the opponent.

Quarterback Alex Smith rallied his offense like rarely before and was able to overcome the deficit. The game tying 82 yards drive took only 53 seconds, in which Smith completed 4 of 5 passes for 51 yards and scrambled twice for 24 yards.  He went 23 of 32 for 275 yards in the game.

Despite Smith’s stunning performance Drew Brees countered with a drive of his own which set up the game winning field goal. 

2. November 22, 2009: 49ers 24, Packers 30

Against the Packers Smith showed off his talent in a flawless second half effort.

He finished the game throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns and kept his team in the game.

At the end another 49ers’ rally fell short as Aaron Rodgers lead Green Bay to a 30-24 victory.

1. December 15, 2006: 49ers 24, Seahawks 14

Going into the fourth quarter, the 49ers trailed the Seahawks 7-3. With a brilliant performance Smith led his team to a come from behind victory on a rainy Thursday night in Seattle.

The Niners completed two long drives with touchdown passes from Smith and grabbed a 17-7 lead. Then he led another drive down the field and rushed the ball in himself.

Smith occasionally showed what he is capable of doing. This season he has to show it in every single game because just one mistake could be one too many.