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The NFL released dates and times for 2013 exhibition games, pushing back the final entry in our series examining NFC West offseasons. A few thoughts: Rams: The opener at Cleveland carries one big what-if scenario. What if the Browns had succeeded...

The St. Louis Rams posted a 4-26 record against NFC West opponents over the five seasons preceding Jeff Fisher's arrival as head coach. They were 4-1-1 against the NFC West under Fisher in 2012. Matt Williamson Ranks West by Position T...

2013 Salary Cap Charges for QBs Rank Team QB Cap 1 Detroit Lions $24.6M 2 New York Giants $22.1M 3 Denver Broncos $20.8M 4 Dallas Cowboys $19.6M 5 San Diego Chargers $18.9M 6 New Y...

An NFC West team other than the one recently appearing in the Super Bowl ranks No. 1 in ESPN's first NFL Power Rankings of the 2013 offseason. Call us suckers for the excitement of free agency and the trade market, but the Seattle Seahawks' recent...

ESPN's Chris Mortensen has driven another nail into the Darrelle Revis-to-San Francisco coffin we constructed board by board by board by board. Let's turn our attention to a subject of greater import: the expanded windows San Francisco and Seattle...

In eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Alex Smith has played for three head coaches, seven offensive coordinators and six quarterbacks coaches (seven if you count Pep Hamilton, who helped Jim Hostler coach the position in 2006). These many...

NEW ORLEANS -- Colin Kaepernick scored his fifth red zone rushing touchdown of the season during Super Bowl XLVII. His inability to complete passes in that area was a problem, however. Super Bowl XLVII Red Zone QB Play QB Flacco Kaepe...

NEW ORLEANS -- For his next act, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will try to accomplish what Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady could not pull off in these NFL playoffs. Kaepernick will try to lead his team past the Baltimore ...

The Baltimore Ravens' defense was relentless in pressuring San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith when the teams faced one another during the 2011 season. 5+ Pass-Rushers Since Week 11 Unit BAL D SF O Games 10 9 ...

Five nuggets of knowledge about Super Bowl XLVII, in which the Baltimore Ravens face the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 3: 1. Family affair: The coaching Harbaughs, Jim and John, will of course be on opposite sidelines when Jim's San Francisco 49ers ...

Sam Bradford, Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick and ESPN's recent package breaking down home-field advantages gave Kevin Seifert and I material for the latest "Inside Slant" podcast. Seattle's CenturyLink Field figured prominently into the home-field p...

The San Francisco 49ers opened Alex Smith's rookie season dead last in ESPN's 2005 NFL Power Rankings. Seven years later, the 49ers have emerged from Week 1 with two first-place votes from our five panelists -- nearly enough to overtake New Englan...

Leave it to one of our resident San Francisco 49ers fans to issue an irresistible challenge. Thank you, 4949centennial, for giving me something (arguably) better to do on a Friday afternoon. Some background: With the 49ers finishing 13-3 last s...

Take a bow, Green Bay Packers. You sailed through ESPN's NFL Power Rankings as the top team from Week 1 through the regular season. There was lots of movement beneath you, however. Our Power Rankings voters -- John Clayton, Paul Kuharsky, James...

There can be no fourth-quarter comeback victories in football without a team first falling behind. That partly explains why Drew Brees (three), Tom Brady (one) and Aaron Rodgers (zero) have combined for fewer of them than either Alex Smith (five) ...

The facts: The San Francisco 49ers fell to 9-2 with a 16-6 road defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12. The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two. The 49ers remain five victories ahead of their nearest NFC West...