NINERS USE RUSHING GAME TO BEAT SEAHAWKS

If the NFL hadn’t noticed yet, the San Francisco 49ers are simply a different team under head coach Mike Singletary.  Since the legendary Chicago Bears linebacker took the reins of a floundering team, the Niners are 8-2 dating back to last year.  They ran their 2009 record to 2-0 on Sunday as they used a productive rushing game to pull away from the Seattle Seahawks in the second half, eventually winning by a 23-10 final score.  Frank Gore did the most significant damage for the Niners, running for two long touchdowns of 79 and 80 yards.  Seattle evened their 2009 NFL mark at 1-1.

The Niners also took the money, covering the NFL pointspread easily as -1 home favorites.  In addition to their 2-0 straight up mark, the Niners have covered both of their games this season.  Seattle evened their ATS mark at 1-1.  The 33 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 38’.  Both the Seahawks and Niners have gone UNDER in both of their regular season games.

Frank Gore talked about his big rushing day in his post game media interview:

"Yeah, I was looking up there. I ran all day. I told myself, 'I'm not looking back. I told myself: 'Hey, if they're going to catch me, they're going to catch me. I'm just going to look straight ahead.’”

Gore was then informed that his runs of 79 and 80 yards made him only the second player to run for touchdowns of 79+ yards twice in the same game, joining Detroit Lions icon Barry Sanders who turned the trick in 1997:

"Hey, I'm happy. I didn't know that. We're 2-0 in our division. We proved to a lot of people we're getting better and better."

Gore also ran for only the third 200 yard rushing game in the team’s storied history, finishing with 209 yards.  Niners’ QB Shaun Hill gave him props:

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. He was moving."

Niners’ coach Singletary tried to downplay the significance of the 2-0 start:

"For us it's too early to tell anything. Last week was ugly, but I loved it. This week was ugly, but I loved it."

Seahawks rookie linebacker Aaron Curry said it was simply a case of too much Frank Gore:

"It was just a matter of Frank Gore being Frank Gore. It's just as simple as that. They gave the right man the ball. He's one of those guys, he's going to have your attention. It's not hard to find him. He runs hard. You can sometimes hear him grunt as he runs."

The Niners will hit the road to try and keep their undefeated start alive, playing Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.  They’ll then return home for the next two games, hosting the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons.  The Seahawks will host the Chicago Bears in the Jet City next Sunday, followed by a road contest at Baltimore the following week.  They’ll return home on October 11th to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.