Jim Harbaugh came to the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason and brought old school football to the Bay Area; however, most of us didn’t realize just how old school it really was. With last week’s victory, the 49ers accomplished something that has not been done since 1920 – score a rushing touchdown while not allowing a rushing touchdown in each of their first seven games.
The last team to accomplish this feat was the Buffalo All-Americans, who completed their seventh game on November 14, 1920 against the Columbus Panhandles, 43-7. To put it in perspective, that’s five years longer than the Red Sox World Series drought from 1918 to 2004.
Since it’s widely held that running the ball and stopping the run are the keys to victory in the post-season, even in today’s pass-happy NFL, the 49ers have the right formula for post season success.
San Francisco is on track for their first playoff appearance since 2002, and Harbaugh has put together a surprising turnaround. Without huge roster changes from last year’s 6-10 team, the current team is 6-1 with a 4-game lead in the division and a chance to lock out the division crown by Thanksgiving.
The 49ers are first in the league in rushing defense, allowing only 73.4 yards per game, while rushing for 137.6 per game (6th in the league). The rushing attack is led by Frank Gore, who has 675 rushing yards this season. Gore is also on a streak of four consecutive games with at least 125 yards rushing and 1 rushing TD, a feat only 3 other players have accomplished – Terrell Davis, Larry Johnson and O.J. Simpson.
The 49ers one weakness has been their passing attack, but it has been conservative and error-free, as a complement to their stingy defense and excellent running game. They are 31st in the league in passing yardage, but quarterback Alex Smith has 9 touchdowns to only 2 INTs. In fact, he has the fewest interception of any active starter.
This weekend, the 49ers face an inconsistent Washington Redskins team which is currently 3-4 and coming off a 23-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the first shutout in coach Mike Shanahan’s career. The Redskins have the 21st ranked rushing defense and are giving up over 120 yards per game, plus they have the 26th ranked rushing offense.
The numbers strongly favor the 49ers, who hope to get their sixth consecutive victory and one step closer to ending that long playoff drought.
