San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith went to his press conference on Sunday and discussed the Niners victory over the Seahawks. You can listen to the audio by clicking here.
One of the things Smith pointed out that the Niners needed to improve was their red zone efficiency.
What are you looking to improve on in offense this week?
"Quite a few things. Obviously, red zone efficiency. We were down there quite a few times and could only punch it in the one time. So, we got to score touchdowns down there. If we did that last Sunday, it changes the game. Third down efficiency obviously wasn’t good enough. We have to get better in that area and a lot of things. Third down efficiency, we weren’t very good on first and second down. We put ourselves in some holes. In the past game we were only throwing for a 124 yards. Obviously I’d like to build upon that. So we were efficient as far as completion percentage, but I’d really like to get a little more production."
As Thomas Beekers of Field Gulls points out, one of the positives the Seahawks can take from their game is that they bended but didn't break. Tthe 49ers went one for five in the red zone in terms of punching it in, having to settle for David Akers chip-shot field goals. It didn't cost them against an anemic Seattle offense, but they won't get so lucky in the future.
If Smith expects to hold onto the starting job in San Francisco, his offense needs to put touchdowns on the board. Jim Harbaugh seemed more comfortable with running the ball with Frank Gore on third downs early on, and Smith didn't make any big third down plays later on either. Smith is going to have to improve on making the right reads and the right throws as he gets closer to the end zone, or the grumblings by San Francisco fans will grow to a fever pitch again.
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