SAN FRANCISCO - Coach Mike Singletary delivered another one of his
motivational halftime speeches and the San Francisco 49ers woke up
in a hurry.
And in all phases, no less.
"It was just a matter of reminding them what was at stake,"
Singletary said.
Like first place in the NFC West.
Tight end Vernon Davis caught a 13-yard pass for his third touchdown
in two weeks, Patrick Willis returned an interception 23 yards for a
score and the 49ers overcame the absence of star running back Frank
Gore with a 35-0 rout of the winless St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
The 49ers (3-1) scored in every way to take command of the NFC West
after already beating reigning division champion Arizona and Seattle,
recording their first shutout in 119 games since a 38-0 win at New
Orleans on Jan. 6, 2002.
"Any day you look up and see a goose egg it's great," Willis said.
"We made a step today. People are going to say it's only St. Louis.
That doesn't matter."
The Rams (0-4) lost their 14th straight, the longest skid in the NFL.
St. Louis was blanked for the second time after losing 28-0 to the
Seahawks in the season opener.
San Francisco scored touchdowns via special teams, offense and defense
for the first time since Nov. 10, 1997, in a 24-12 win at Philadelphia.
This also marked the 49ers' largest margin of victory since a 50-14
win over Arizona on Dec. 7, 2003.
"This is our house," Singletary quoted from his halftime message.
"We want to set the tempo. We don't want any team coming in here and
setting the tempo. I felt like they were taking a fight to us."
Josh Morgan caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Shaun Hill early
in the fourth quarter, then Ray McDonald scooped up a fumble by Rams
quarterback Kyle Boller and ran 11 yards for another TD 14 seconds
later.
San Francisco found a fortunate, wacky way to finally get on the
board late in the first half. Rookie fifth-round draft pick Scott
McKillop recovered a botched punt return by St. Louis in the end zone.
And a lackluster first half by the Niners' offense turned lively in
the last 30 minutes.
"That's huge that every unit is pitching in," Hill said. "We're on top
of the division. That's right where we need to be at the quarter mark."
McKillop capitalized when St. Louis' Danny Amendola let Andy Lee's
punt go and teammate Quincy Butler tried to pick up the ball but
couldn't gain control. The 49ers swarmed and McKillop came up with the
ball at the bottom of the pile.
"You have to communicate to the guys that are blocking for you that
the ball's on the ground," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "I don't
know if it was the noise or if Danny didn't get out. But it hit Quincy
and at that point Quincy knew he had to get on the ball. That's what
he tried to do."
Boller had a tough return to the Bay Area in his first start for St.
Louis. A former college star at Cal , he went 13 for 24 for 108 yards
and was sacked five times in place of injured starter Marc Bulger
(bruised rotator cuff).
Willis wreaked havoc, often blitzing untouched and coming at the Rams'
offense from every angle to finish with eight tackles -- five solo,
three for loss -- and 2? sacks to go with three other hits on Boller.
Boller was clearly frustrated.
"It's hard to explain. It's just one of those deals where we can't
have it happen," he said. "We can't hit big plays and then all of
a sudden there's something that brings us back. That just kills your
drives, kills all your rhythm and momentum."
Without Gore, who injured his ankle during a last-second loss at
Minnesota in Week 3, the 49ers struggled to move in their power run
offense. Rookie Glen Coffee took on a bigger role, but finished with
74 yards on 24 carries.
Hill improved his career record at Candlestick Park to 7-0. He was
14 of 24 for 152 yards and four sacks.
There's some concern he's taking too many hits. How did he feel?
"I feel like I played in an NFL football game," he said with a chuckle.
Rams kicker Josh Brown missed a 51-yard field goal in the opening
quarter and St. Louis had few other opportunities. The Rams were 5
of 16 on third down and had only 177 total yards.
Game notes
Niners LB Jeff Ulbrich sustained a concussion late in the fourth
quarter. St. Louis S Craig Dahl suffered a head injury but it was yet
to be determined whether he had a concussion. 49ers WR Brandon Jones
was active for the first time, making his debut for San Francisco
after he injured his shoulder early in training camp. San Francisco
has an interception in each game so far. The 49ers were held score-
less in the first quarter for the second straight week. Backup QB
Alex Smith was the lone 49ers player not to get in the game.
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