Alex Smith Spells Doom for San Francisco 49ers in Postseason

The San Francisco 49ers are as hot as any team in the National Football League outside the state of Wisconsin right now, rolling to their eighth consecutive victory in Week 11 and placing their collective feet squarely on the necks of the other teams in the NFC West.

The Niners have made this run based largely of the tenets of old-school smash-mouth football. Run the ball effectively, control the clock, play solid defense and avoid turning the ball over.

A large part of the credit for adherence to this last tenet goes to San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith, who, after spending much of his seven-year career being maligned as a bust after being selected first overall in the draft, has evolved into just the sort of game manager under center that San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh covets.

However, once the playoffs begin, and especially should San Francisco roll deep into them, there may well come a time when the 49ers will be forced to come from behind or move the ball consistently down the field through the air, and at that point, San Francisco and their fans may be in a heap of trouble.

Before this season, Smith has more career interceptions than touchdowns, a passer rating of less than 83 and a yards per attempt of less than seven. This isn't to say that his play hasn't improved this season, but if it's grip it and rip it time in a one-and-done scenario, the last thing the 49ers would need is a flashback from Smith that would send them packing.

I'm not trashing Smith, nor do I think that San Francisco's playoff hopes are doomed, but Niners fans that are prospecting for a Lombardi Trophy would be well advised to remember that this isn't exactly the kind of signal-caller San Fran fans are accustomed to when playoff time rolls around.