game 15 - 49ers vs. Seahawks

Down to the wire.

That was a satisfying victory. It was on the road against a hot team in a loud stadium with a playoff-type atmosphere. It could have been the perfect storm but the 49ers pulled out a win. It was good for the long run when the playoffs start and it had me on the edge of my seat, but a nice runaway win would be good every now and then too...

What was of equal importance was the health of the players coming out of the game: how are Delanie Walker and Kyle Williams doing? I heard on the radio that they both may be back in time for the playoffs, which would be fantastic. As a testament to how extraordinarily tough these athletes are, even with a fractured jaw which has been wired shut (actually I don't know the extent of the injury), Delanie could still play in a few weeks. It's been done before by a player named Anquan Boldin. Delanie is such a key cog in making the Niner offense work.

And the Kyle Williams injury. I'm sorry, but he looked like a sacrificial lamb when he got hit. If ever there was a good rule being forced correctly by the NFL, that was it. He totally gave himself up and acted like the play was over and he was kneeling on the ground. To be hit by two guys from opposite sides, both in the head area, he's lucky he didn't get killed. Literally killed. Wasn't one of the 'hit men' a teammate of Kyle's last year? All he had to be was touched down, and if the Seahawks were going after the ball, they could have reached more for the ball. Brutal. Thank goodness Kyle looks to be recovered or is at least recovering.

Kudos to Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree for that clutch completion on the game winning field goal drive, and also to Larry Grant for pulling a 'Justin Smith' and causing that fumble to help seal the victory. Besides overall winning football, it's those key plays that add up to victory.

And one final note to this blog entry: Aldon Smith needs just one more sack to break the rookie sack record - here's hoping he gets at least two!