Alex Smith was wearing a blue shirt to work Monday Candlestick Park, type of clothes you can see the mechanic. She had a white spot on chest, with his first name stitched in red. This was all part of the final statement.
49ers went to work and actually brought their lunch pails metal, helmets and all other visual symbols grunt workers for the long-awaited matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers traditionally Scrappy.
And work they did.
At night, when lights went out on a Stick - twice, actually - 49ers and the Steelers scored a short-circuit 20-3 gut-check victory.
Ben Roethlisberger GIMP?
No matter what. 49ers defense, playing without injured All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis, showed no mercy for the visiting defenders, who threw for 330 meters, but he limped, grimaced, winced and hobbled with tenderized left leg suffered a high ankle sprain 11 days ago.
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San Francisco discovered Roethlisberger three times and forced him into another lap with chewing. They converted three of movement up to 13 points. Big Ben sacked three times, too.
"Defense played lights out," said Smith, encourage laughter during the game after the press conference. "No pun intended."
Roethlisberger said: "I make no excuses, I played bad football ball, I turned that one on me ...."
49ers defense that set a season record 14 games without starting NFL rushing touchdown, if you live in the home quarterback. It held Pittsburgh to three points lower season and gave Smith a cushion to work with.
He passed for 187 meters, which is an almost overwhelming number of happy NFL films today. But perhaps most importantly, Smith was fired, and never made turnovers. His work, when it matters most - like race rollout back to tight end Vernon Davis to 21 meters, setting a handy 1-yard touchdown throw to Davis after the game in the third quarter to extend lead at 13-3 - was nearly perfect.
She helped the 49ers (11.3), which has secured the NFC West crown, closer to providing a first-round bye and stay ahead of the New Orleans Saints to pursue a No. 2 seed.
"Great War, because I'm here," said Smith, the seventh year. "Both teams had a lot on the line."
Pittsburgh (10-4), playing without suspended All-Pro linebacker James Harrison, passed a chance to gain sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
"We must acknowledge that 49er football today," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "We played the game on their terms. Turnovers created. We got a few games concept. They control the ball. Played with head and played, as they play.
"We had the opportunity and we have to catch it."
49ers won more than 100 yards less than Pittsburgh (389-287), but not waste this opportunity. For example, already in the fourth quarter, after the rookie Smith, Aldona barrel in forcing Roethlisberger fumble, recovered by Justin Smith, Steelers 17, 49ers quickly cashed in a 5-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore (18 rushes, 65 yards ) to the point, which essentially closed the door on a comeback.
Interestingly, the 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh chosen to give space to be provided to third goal David Akers, and that the procedures after Lawrence Timmons was identified as a controversial penalty to jump 28-yard goal try.
"At the gate, he still would have been a two-point game," Harbaugh explained. "With a goal, we have the three-point game."
Harbaugh, front-runner for NFL coach of year honors after leading the 49ers to move the bed first game since 2002 in the first year, welcomed the fullness of victory.
"It was a team victory," he said.
He was also one in which the 49ers will not soon forget the other reason.
Excavation was delayed about 20 minutes after the transformer, which is located outside the stadium failed. Source was switched to a backup generator.
What was the 49ers locker room during pregame failure?
"It was dark," said Harbaugh, of course, facts. "Any kind of rolled with it."
Second outage in the second quarter, caused a 16-minute delay.
"Strange," said Smith. "It's not something you expect. For the first time, was not nearly as bad. But when you sit outside in the playground, and they go out and do not know how long it will take ... just kind of deal with. "
At this point, Harrison - serving a game suspension for illegal helmet to helmet came in Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, and watching from afar - from fun tweeted: ". If I can not play, nobody can play"
It is clear that the 49ers never got a tweet.
49ers went to work and actually brought their lunch pails metal, helmets and all other visual symbols grunt workers for the long-awaited matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers traditionally Scrappy.
And work they did.
At night, when lights went out on a Stick - twice, actually - 49ers and the Steelers scored a short-circuit 20-3 gut-check victory.
Ben Roethlisberger GIMP?
No matter what. 49ers defense, playing without injured All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis, showed no mercy for the visiting defenders, who threw for 330 meters, but he limped, grimaced, winced and hobbled with tenderized left leg suffered a high ankle sprain 11 days ago.
USA TODAY Sports on Twitter!
To get the latest sports news from USA Today, including game scores, columns and features Follow us on Twitter at @ USATODAYSports.
San Francisco discovered Roethlisberger three times and forced him into another lap with chewing. They converted three of movement up to 13 points. Big Ben sacked three times, too.
"Defense played lights out," said Smith, encourage laughter during the game after the press conference. "No pun intended."
Roethlisberger said: "I make no excuses, I played bad football ball, I turned that one on me ...."
49ers defense that set a season record 14 games without starting NFL rushing touchdown, if you live in the home quarterback. It held Pittsburgh to three points lower season and gave Smith a cushion to work with.
He passed for 187 meters, which is an almost overwhelming number of happy NFL films today. But perhaps most importantly, Smith was fired, and never made turnovers. His work, when it matters most - like race rollout back to tight end Vernon Davis to 21 meters, setting a handy 1-yard touchdown throw to Davis after the game in the third quarter to extend lead at 13-3 - was nearly perfect.
She helped the 49ers (11.3), which has secured the NFC West crown, closer to providing a first-round bye and stay ahead of the New Orleans Saints to pursue a No. 2 seed.
"Great War, because I'm here," said Smith, the seventh year. "Both teams had a lot on the line."
Pittsburgh (10-4), playing without suspended All-Pro linebacker James Harrison, passed a chance to gain sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
"We must acknowledge that 49er football today," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "We played the game on their terms. Turnovers created. We got a few games concept. They control the ball. Played with head and played, as they play.
"We had the opportunity and we have to catch it."
49ers won more than 100 yards less than Pittsburgh (389-287), but not waste this opportunity. For example, already in the fourth quarter, after the rookie Smith, Aldona barrel in forcing Roethlisberger fumble, recovered by Justin Smith, Steelers 17, 49ers quickly cashed in a 5-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore (18 rushes, 65 yards ) to the point, which essentially closed the door on a comeback.
Interestingly, the 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh chosen to give space to be provided to third goal David Akers, and that the procedures after Lawrence Timmons was identified as a controversial penalty to jump 28-yard goal try.
"At the gate, he still would have been a two-point game," Harbaugh explained. "With a goal, we have the three-point game."
Harbaugh, front-runner for NFL coach of year honors after leading the 49ers to move the bed first game since 2002 in the first year, welcomed the fullness of victory.
"It was a team victory," he said.
He was also one in which the 49ers will not soon forget the other reason.
Excavation was delayed about 20 minutes after the transformer, which is located outside the stadium failed. Source was switched to a backup generator.
What was the 49ers locker room during pregame failure?
"It was dark," said Harbaugh, of course, facts. "Any kind of rolled with it."
Second outage in the second quarter, caused a 16-minute delay.
"Strange," said Smith. "It's not something you expect. For the first time, was not nearly as bad. But when you sit outside in the playground, and they go out and do not know how long it will take ... just kind of deal with. "
At this point, Harrison - serving a game suspension for illegal helmet to helmet came in Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, and watching from afar - from fun tweeted: ". If I can not play, nobody can play"
It is clear that the 49ers never got a tweet.
