San Francisco 49ers: 5 Things We Learned from Week 1 Win Over Seattle Seahawks

After the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 33-17 on their opening day of the NFL season, we are now able to sit back and analyze the strengths of the 49ers, as well as areas for improvement.

When it is all said and done, Jim Harbaugh won in his debut as the San Francisco 49ers head coach which can be considered a successful day any way you look at it. Another positive that 49ers should take away from this game was the fact that the offense didn't allow one sack and never turned the ball over.

However, if it wasn't for a couple of clutch plays from Ted Ginn Jr. and the rest of the special teams, the outcome of the game could've been completely different.

Here is a list of five things we learned about the 49ers from their victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

5. Gore Is Still in Preseason Mode

Anyone who thought that Frank Gore was going to run wild on the Seahawks defense was not alone.

Gore has rushed for 200 yards in a game against this defense twice in his career and was recently awarded a three-year contract extension from the 49ers that permitted him to focus solely on football for the next few years. 

Whether it was the lack of playing time in the preseason or the lingering health problems from the hip injury he sustained in 2010, Gore did not look like the Gore that the 49ers have become accustomed to.

You could also blame it on the offensive line who failed to open up adequate lanes for Gore to run though, which was quite uncharacteristic of them.

Either way you look at it, Gore looked slow and hesitant against the Seahawks. His feet looked heavy and was also getting brought to the ground by attempts that he should've be shrugging off.

Do I think it's time to panic and say Gore has lost a step? No, of course not. Gore was simply not able to focus on football this offseason, and his lack of preparation was exposed against the subpar Seahawks rush defense.

4. Ted Ginn Shows What He Is Capable of

Think back to the 2007 NFL draft for a second.

The 49ers had the 11th pick in the first round and it seemed like everyone had a different opinion of who the Niners should pick.

Some wanted Adam Carriker, the defensive lineman from Nebraska. The majority wanted Patrick Willis, who doesn't need an introduction.

Lastly, others wanted Ted Ginn Jr, the fast and explosive wide receiver/kick returner from the Ohio State University.

As it turned out, the Miami Dolphins selected Ginn with the ninth pick in the draft and the 49ers never even got a shot at selecting Ginn, which was great news for the Niners when looking at the grand scheme of things. One could only imagine where this team would be if they selected Carriker or Ginn instead of Willis...

Then in 2010 after a disappointing tenure with the Dolphins, Miami shipped Ginn to San Francisco for a lowly fifth-round pick.

Boy did that trade ever pay dividends yesterday when Ginn returned a kickoff and a punt back for a touchdown on succeeding attempts. Although Ginn might not be one of the best receivers in the NFL, he certainly has the ability to turn a game around with his speed in only a matter of seconds.

3. Defense Has a Chance to Be the Best in Recent Years

Yes, I do realize that the 49ers were playing the Seahawks: an offense that no one was expecting to do much of anything in 2011.

However, that shouldn't take anything away from the performance that the San Francisco 49ers defense put forth on Sunday after forcing three turnovers and allowing running back Marshawn Lynch to only 33 yards rushing.

Besides the 55-yard touchdown to Doug Baldwin in the fourth quarter, the biggest play the 49ers defense allowed all game was a 13-yard pass to tight end Zach Miller that came from their own 20-yard line.

On top of that, the 49ers pass-rush continuously pressured Jackson when he dropped back to pass. The defense hit Jackson eight times, five of which ended up being quarterback sacks.

2. Alex Smith Is Still in Love with the Dump-off Pass

49ers fans saw a version of Alex Smith that has yet to be seen in his six-year career in the NFL.

Smith looked calm in the pocket, had some touch on all of his passes and, most importantly, never gave his critics the opportunity to shake their heads in disgust.

What impressed me the most from Smith's performance on Sunday was the play where he rolled out to the left and had Vernon Davis running down the sideline. The old Smith might have run out of bounds or worse yet, lobbed it into Davis, whose defender was draped all over him like a wet towel. 

To the surprise of many, Smith instead signaled to Davis and threw a beautiful back-shoulder pass to where only Davis could catch it. To me, that was one of the few times I have ever seen Smith look like a legitimate NFL quarterback, because that play was run to absolute perfection. Even Tom Brady would've been impressed...

However, after completing 15 passes in 20 attempts, one might think that Smith played a brilliant game and led the 49ers to the victory. Even though it might not be the contrary, I believe that statistic is a bit misleading.

Smith threw for only 124 yards and continually decided to throw to his check down—or running back going out for a pass—once his first read wasn't open. 

This could simply be the result of the west coast offense being put into the works, since it does call for a lot of passing plays to the running backs.

Either way, Smith looked like a quarterback that was planning on simply managing the game. With Smith at quarterback for likely the remainder of the year, I envision him as someone who isn't going to win the 49ers any games, but certainly won't lose any either.

1. Red Zone and 3rd Down Offense Need Help

You didn't even need to watch the game to know where the 49ers have to improve before their next game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

The 49ers were 1-12 on third down efficiency and scored one touchdown in five red zone attempts.

The sequence that summed this all up was when the 49ers failed to score a touchdown after six attempts from inside the eight yard line.

With Gore not playing up to his potential, becoming a one-dimensional offense in the red zone can mean nothing but failure, so I understand why Harbaugh elected to try and pound the ball in for a touchdown.

However, the 49ers have a multitude of other red zone specialists on offense that could've gotten the job done.

Braylon Edwards was brought in to be that wide receiver who can jump up and win the battle for the ball in the air. Vernon Davis is also a target who creates a mismatch for whoever is covering him.

Whether it's scoring on the ground or through the air, the 49ers must find a way to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals when in the red zone. The 49ers got away with it against the Seahawks, but they won't be so lucky against the Cowboys if the red zone offense doesn't improve.