Entering 2012, did it seem like the San Francisco 49ers' offense would be of the record-breaking variety?
If defense was subsituted for offense in that statement it wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. But the defense has been predictably dominant and the offense clicked incredibly well on Sunday — new franchise-high well.
Against the Bills, the 49ers put up some eye-popping offesive statistics: 621 total yards (310 passing, 311 rushing), 6 touchdowns, 45 points and one turnover. The 621 offensive yards were the highlight of the day, as Alex Smith and the rest of the Niners broke their franchise-record, originally set in 1992 — also against the Bills.
Smith, who topped the 300-yard mark for just the second time in his career, helped Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree eclipse the century mark for receiving yards as well.
Combine Smith's near perfect performance with a running game led by Frank Gore (14 carries, 106 yards and a TD), and you create some history.
Even after the former Utah Ute left the game with a sprained middle finger, backup Colin Kaepernick stepped in and led the Niners into the history books.
On the other side of the ball, however, the Bills also set a new record — although this is one that won't proudly go into the record books.
After last week's shellacking to the Patriots, Buffalo gave up over 550 yards of offense for the second consecutive week — which hadn't been done since 1950. They also gave up 40-plus points in back-to-back weeks. For a defense that was as highly touted as the Bills' was entering 2012, these two games serve as powerful reminders as to why the games are played on the field, not on paper.
And now, the piece de resistance of Sunday's 49ers-Bills game: the score entering the second quarter — 3-3. Buffalo then allowed 42 unanswered points en route to another blowout defeat.
