There’s a lot of pressure on this San Francisco 49ers team to perform this season. Having risen to one of the best outfits in 2012, they came agonizingly close to a Super Bowl victory last February before young Colin Kaepernick froze in the chilly New Orleans air.
This season Kaepernick is no rookie and has a side around him that are expected to win games each and every weekend. Two touchdown passes in Week 1 suggested the football betting favorites would pick up where they left off, but back-to-back defeats meant critics on the Betfair website rounded on Jim Harbaugh’s men whose offense broke down to just 10 points in two games.
San Francisco’s 35-11 win over the Rams Friday was therefore a major victory for Harbaugh. It doesn’t just stop the rut but also allays fears his offense is shooting blanks. Many Betfair punters criticized the way Harbaugh’s team set out against Seattle two weeks ago, and even more concerning was the lack of imagination at home to Indianapolis six days later.
Kaepernick’s luck changed Thursday – he found Frank Gore with the precision that got this team to the Super Bowl last year. Gore made his first 100-yard game of the season and with that in your arsenal, you’re difficult to stop.
Anquan Boldin must also get credit for his five catches and a TD – the 32-year-old doing much of the legwork in this 49ers offense this season.
Granted, there are still concerns within this 49ers secondary that let Lance Kendricks squeeze in for a late score on Friday but some Betfair pundits have suggested that, given time, Harbaugh should plug these holes.
When the 49ers play to their full potential they will beat anyone in this league – the question marks will continue to rise, however, over how often that can happen.