Reports: Alex Smith will start vs. Seattle

The 49ers will go back to Plan A in an effort to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. According to multiple sources, the Niners will bench quarterback Troy Smith in favor of Alex Smith for their game against visiting Seattle (6-6) on Sunday. With a loss, San Francisco (4-8) will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Alex Smith started the season's first seven games but separated his non-throwing shoulder in a 23-20 loss at Carolina on Oct. 24. Troy Smith took over in his absence and directed a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks in his first two starts, victories over the Broncos and Rams in which he became the first Niners quarterback to have a quarterback rating over 115.0 in back-to-back games since Jeff Garcia in 2003. As a result, he earned the starting job after Alex Smith was medically cleared to play. But Troy Smith has since struggled. In his past three starts, he's compiled quarterback ratings of 51.5, 61.7 and 64.4. He co...