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Among a defensive unit that held the Chicago Bears to only 143 total yards and just seven points in a dominant performance, defensive end Aldon Smith made sure that he would be the first name you mentioned with one of the greatest performance ever in a single game for a defensive player.
Smith recorded 5.5 sacks on Monday night, which is tied for the fifth-most sacks in a single game since sacks started being recorded as a stat in 1982. He also set the record for most sacks in a Monday Night Football game.
Smith's performance gave him the NFL sacks lead over the Denver Broncos' Von Miller with 15 to Miller's 13.
"We were playing our defense, stopping the run and then stopping the pass. I was just playing my game getting after it."
Smith's big game came in fellow 2011 draft pick Colin Kaepernick's first NFL start and both players made their selections seem quite right on this night. Kaepernick finished 16-for-23 for 243 yards and two touchdowns in place of Alex Smith who is out with a concussion. The Niners are now 7-2-1 overall with a visit to the New Orleans Saints coming up next.