Frank Gore Injury: Knee Injury Not Considered Serious for 49ers Star

After sustaining a knee injury against the New York Giants on Sunday, it appears San Francisco 49ers star running back Frank Gore is going to be fine moving forward.

Gore, who carried six times for zero yards in the first half of the 49ers' 27-20 victory before being held out, said he felt like he could have played the rest of the game on Sunday, but running backs coach Tom Rathman opted to be cautious with him.

Frankly, it's amazing how durable Gore has been since entering the league.

Similar to longtime St. Louis Rams star Steven Jackson, he's had an incredibly workload through the years (both on the ground and in the air), yet has managed to stay on the field the majority of the time.

Not bad for the former Miami Hurricanes star who was drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft primarily because of injury concerns.

It also helps that the 49ers finally have appeared to have found a legitimate backup to Gore in rookie Kendall Hunter, who has been impressive coming out of Oklahoma State. He carried six times for 40 yards on Sunday against the Giants, including a 17-yard touchdown scamper.

On top of that, quarterback Alex Smith, long considered a bust, has had a bit of a breakthrough in 2011, playing well within the gameplan and throwing just three interceptions all season. He has the highest QB rating of his career (95.8).

You add a defense that has simply been dominant (15.3 points per game allowed) and it's no wonder Rathman figured he didn't have to rush Gore back.

The 49ers are now 8-1 after their victory in Week 10, the second-best mark in the league behind the defending champion Green Bay Packers.

They have a chance of increasing their lead even more in the NFC West with a win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. They currently have a five-game lead with seven games to go.