The San Francisco 49ers haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in quite some time. More impressive is the fact that they haven't allowed a single rushing touchdown all season, the first team to do that in its first eleven games since the Providence Steamrollers in 1928. They're the first team to do it in eleven consecutive games (meaning not from the beginning of the season) since 1970.
If the 49ers are able to continue this streak of not allowing a rushing touchdown for another two games, they'll match the record set by the 1920 Decatur Staleys - kudos to Eric Branch for that note - when they didn't allow one all season, which at the time was 13 games. That would be a colossal achievement to bring some recognition to a 49ers team that has stopped the run well for many seasons now, but were often overlooked.
Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams is a lot of things, many of which the 49ers probably don't care about. Their chief objective will be to win and secure the NFC West and their tenth win, while keeping an eye on the playoff seeding. But you can bet that players on that defense want to keep their great defense against the run up to par. The last player to score a rushing touchdown against the 49ers?
Steven Jackson, last year.
So the 49ers will be swarming him on Sunday, trying to make sure the game is in Sam Bradford's hands - providing he even plays. There is some things to note regarding Jackson and his "potential" to break the streak, however. Though he was the last player to score a rushing touchdown on the 49ers, he hasn't been scoring lately. He's got four on the season and hasn't scored one in four games. His last touchdown came when the Rams beat the Saints. In his last two games, though, Jackson rushed for less than 100 yards.
Look for the streak to continue against the Rams this weekend, despite Jackson's history against the 49ers.