Team Leader

Smith's terrific season ends.

Alex Smith led the 49ers, even in defeat. Rather than pinning the overtime loss on Kyle Williams for his fumble on a punt return, Smith kept the blame squarely on his own shoulder pads. "It's not on him. I look at the one for 13 on third downs. I know he's going to feel bad, but he's still part of our team. We didn't lose the game there. We lost it across the board offensively. We just couldn't get it done." That was the type of leadership I expected from the full-fledged QB of the Niners. It wasn't Alex's best game: 12-26, 196 yards, 2 TDs and a 97.6 rating. Smith spent most of the game scrambling, and he did gain 42 yards on 6 carries. In the end the offense could not sustain a drive when it needed to, with plays like Vernon Davis catching an 11 yard pass on 3rd-and-12. San Francisco needs to discover a receiver like Victor Cruz who can exploit the gaps when Davis is double-covered.

Paul Kruger led the Ravens in sacks with one. Out of context that may not seem too impressive, but consider the situation. The Patriots had a first down at Baltimore's 11 yard line in the first quarter when Kruger came charging around the left end to sack Brady for a 5 yard loss. The Ravens held the Pats to a field goal as a result, keeping the game within reach. The missed field goal at the end decided it, but the defense held New England to 23 points, and it started in the first quarter. Kruger had two tackles in the effort.

A Super Bowl rematch of New England and New York features no ProUte players, as Christian Cox has been on IR since the first game of the preseason.