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49ers Alex Smith Needs to Impress

Written December 24, 2009 by Jason Lowry

The San Francisco 49ers are not going to be participating in the NFL playoffs this season, but that doesn’t mean the players don’t have something to play for. According to John Crumpacker of San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers have their eyes locked on the play of quarterback Alex Smith, as they try and decided if Smith has what it takes to be the quarterback of the future for this franchise.

Smith was unable to beat out Shaun Hill for the starting job to start the season, but by week 7 Smith was the 49ers starting quarterback. Smith has had some very impressive games, including his first start against the Houston Texans where he threw for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. The problem is Smith has not been very consistent since being handed over the starting job, and it has been a little ugly over the last two weeks, as Smith has thrown just three interceptions to five touchdowns.

The 49ers finish up the regular season with games against the Detroit Lions and the St Louis Rams. This could be a good or a bad thing for Smith in his attempt to convince the organization he is the man for the job. If Smith can lead the 49ers to impressive wins over two pretty bad football teams, it should give him a solid shot at being the 2010 opening day starter, but if Smith struggles in either game it could be the end of his days in San Francisco.

Looking at the NFL odds for the 49ers/Lions game this weekend, the oddsmakers have the 49ers clear favorites in this one, putting even more pressure on Smith to perform well and lead this team to a convincing victory. Find out what our experts are saying about the game in our weekly NFL picks. Also, if you are looking for a great new sportsbook, head over to Sportsbook.com and get an account up and running today.