San Francisco 49ers: 2011 NFC West Champions: 3 Keys to Win Against the Rams

The San Francisco 49ers (10-2) were crowned as NFC West Champions on Sunday after defeating the last place St. Louis Rams 26-0. It is safe to say that nobody in the NFL predicted this much success in year one of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh’s regime. One thing that 49ers fans should be grateful for is this: the 49ers simply did what they had to do—beat a struggling and injury-plagued team. The following key plays were crucial to last week’s 49ers victory:

Blitz pick-up/Recognition:

This seems to be where quarterback Alex Smith and running back Frank Gore seem to shine. In other words, If Alex Smith can recognize a blitz, and Frank Gore can pick-up the block, more often t...

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