Will Play Calling Be The San Francisco 49ers Downfall

The San Francisco 49ers are on the verge of making their sixth trip to the Super Bowl and there is one aspect of the 49ers that could be the team’s downfall and that is the play calling on offense. This season included struggles protecting Alex Smith who was sacked a NFL high 44 times, sustaining drives and red zone efficiency. When the season started the 49ers made an effort to be team that ran the football often, which became very predictable for opposing teams. It is the reason why Frank Gore struggled to get going the first three games of the season when he carried the ball 59 times for 148 yards, 2.51 yards per carry average, and a long of 16 and scored one rushing touchdown. As Gore became the focal point of opposing defenses to stop it also meant that Smith wasn’t able to get going throwing the football and for the 49ers the team was put in third and long situations more times than not, which resulted in additional pressure on Smith, yet even with the pressure, he...