49ers vs. Bills: Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree, Frank Gore lead thorough domination

Well, then. That was something else, wasn't it? After a slow first quarter in which the 49ers offense stalled out near the goal line, things started clicking in the second quarter and the 49ers did not look back, easily defeating the Bills 45-3. The 49ers put together 35 unanswered points behind quality mix of passing rushing.

Alex Smith led the way with 303 passing yards, three touchdowns and a career high 49 passing yards. He finished seven yards shy of his career high in passing yards, and it looked like the 49ers kept him in the game late in part to pass that mark. He couldn't quite make it happen, so Colin Kaepernick came on to wrap the game up.

Smith's big game was helped by big games from Michael Crabtree (6 receptions, 113 yards) and Vernon Davis (5 receptions, 106 yards). Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams both hauled in touchdowns as well, as Alex Smith put together the best performance of his career. The combination of passing and rushing yards, touchdowns and general efficiency were simply ridiculous.

As usual, the rushing game dominated once again. The 49ers rushed for 311 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Just look at those numbers. It was fun watching the passing game, but seeing a ground and pound game like that is just filthy. Frank Gore rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries. Kendall Hunter rushed for 81 yards on 11 carries. Smith and Kaepernick combined for 89 yards rushing. Even Anthony Dixon added 21 yards and Bruce Miller had a nine yard run. It was simply amazing how easily they ran over the Bills.

You want a crazy stat? This game marked the first time since 1961 the 49ers finished a single game with a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a pair of 100-yard receivers. That's some serious history right there!

This was as complete a victory as we have seen from the 49ers since...last week! But seriously, this two game stretch has seen the 49ers win by a combined score of 79-3. The Bills and Jets are obviously not among the better teams in the NFL at this point. At the same time, a domination like this is still a statement. The 49ers went into Minnesota as big favorites and fell on their face. The last two weeks they have been favorites, with a ten point spread today, and they thoroughly dominated the opposition.

Wins are great, but now things get real. The 49ers host the New York Giants to town next week in a rematch of a pair of tight contests last year. A win next week won't make up for the NFC Championship Game loss, but it will be a big step forward in the battle for NFC playoff positioning. The 49ers improve to 4-1, and move back into a tie for first place in the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals. The next few weeks will be key in securing firm position. They will be facing better teams than they've faced the last two weeks, but they will also go in with some serious confidence.