While the San Francisco 49ers did have some issues flare up in the passing game, they were downright dominant at times in the first half when rushing the ball. The entire offense grinded to a halt in the second half, but the dominant first half rushing performance was enough to build the game-winning lead.
In putting together another 125+ yard performance, Frank Gore continued his strong run of performances over the last five weeks. After a slow start due, Gore has been a workhorse in recent weeks. He has rushed for 125+ yards in four straight games, while also adding in a touchdown in each of the four games. This marked the first time in Gore's career that he has rushed for a touchdown in four straight games.
More important in the "big picture" is that Frank Gore passed Roger Craig to take over the number two spot on the 49ers career rushing list. Gore now trails only Joe Perry for first place all time. Perry's 7,344 yards is the franchise's NFL record. Perry has 8,689 rushing yards for the 49ers if you add in their old AAFC days. Given those numbers, Gore's 7,089 yards now trails Perry's NFL franchise total by 255 yards. Gore would likely break the record against either the New York Giants in week ten or the Arizona Cardinals in week eleven. He needs exactly 1,600 more yards to pass Perry's overall franchise record. If he can keep up his current pace, he would be able to set the overall record in the latter half of 2012.
Not too shabby for a guy many thought had bad wheels coming out of college. To be perfectly honest, I was excited when the 49ers drafted him, but given his two knee surgeries and then his pair of shoulder surgeries, I was skeptical that he would last this long. There was no denying his talent coming out of Miami, but the injuries raised a huge question mark. He's missed his share of time, but he has been an absolute beast for the 49ers over the years. Congratulations to Frank Gore as he continues to move up the record book.
Head after the jump to view the run that put him over. It's not a spectacular breakaway run, but the record is the record.
Frank Gore Passes Roger Craig